Check out this new mural “The Melody” in Downtown LA by Afghani graffiti artist Shamsia Hassani. It was curated by Street Art of Mankind and facilitated by DTLA Alliance. It’s a great new addition to Downtown by an artist we’ve known about and met over a decade ago.
Photo courtesy of Shamsia Hassani `
Back in 2014, Crewest founder Man One was approached by the International Visitors Council of Los Angeles (now called ICDLA) and the US State Department about a program they were sponsoring called “American Street Art: A Project for Afghanistan”. There were three artists from Afghanistan visiting LA and they wanted local engagement with them. Some of the goals were to meet with prominent American street artists to increase their exposure to alternative and traditional art forms in the U.S. So of course Man One jumped at the opportunity to show them around town a little bit especially since it was their first time in LA. The three artists that met at Man One’s studio were Abul Qasem Foushanji, Shamsia Hassani, and Sayed Mohebullah Ramin Naqshbandi.
Photos by Stephen Ziegler © 2025
Of the three artists, Shamsia definitely stood out especially at that time for her political stances. Not only was she a talented graffiti artist from Afghanistan but also a very intelligent and outspoken female. Man One invited them to his Lincoln Heights studio to share ideas and talk shop. They also got a mini tour of some of his DTLA murals and thanks to local artist Leba, they got a small wall to paint as well.
Below are some pics taken by our friend Stephen Ziegler (photographer and director of These Days LA). We especially love some of the group action shots taken that day. This is just further proof that working across borders with friends from foreign countries is important to our global society and the exchange of ideas. It’s amazing to see Shamsia’s first mural below and then over a decade later to see what she’s accomplished on a much larger scale! We encourage you to go Downtown and check it out in person. Cheers!
