This book was published on the occasion of the exhibition. Curated by Haema Sivanesan, the installation comprises an archive of photographs, miniature paintings, and videos which examine the aftermath of the destruction of the colossal 5th century Buddhas of the Bamiyan Valley in Central Afghanistan in 2001.

In 2008, Jayce Salloum travelled with Afghan-Hazara artist Khadim Ali from Karachi, Pakistan to Kabul, Afghanistan and then overland into the Bamiyan Valley. The artists’ traveled independently and to some extent clandestinely. The land is scarred by decades of conflict, ravaged by drought and desperate poverty, troubled by tribal rivalries and a persistent Taliban presence. Of specific interest to the artists were the ruined cave sites of the Buddhas, destroyed by the Taliban in March 2001. The ruins of the Bamiyan Buddhas provided a site from which to examine the situation of the Hazara people, a persecuted Shi’a Muslim minority, who believe themselves to be descended from the sculptors who produced the colossal figures of the Buddha.

Through the process of a cross-cultural collaboration, 'the heart that has no love/pain/generosity is not a heart' records the current conditions in Bamiyan, reflecting on the sites of signification and rupture shaping an incipient modernity in Afghanistan. The project documents a significant moment in the history of the Hazara people, many of whom are seeking asylum in the West.

Note: Please ask for assistance if you wish to access this item.

Title type

Translated

Access level

Onsite

practitioner

Jennifer PICKERING

publisher

South Asian Visual Arts Centre (SCVAC) (Toronto, Canada)

editor

Haema SIVANESAN

Location code

EX.CAN.LPG

Language

English

Keyword

group exhibition, touring exhibition, collective practice, ruin, cultural heritage, Islam, installation, video art, miniature painting, photography

Publication/Creation date

2010

No of pages

ISBN / ISSN

9780968546802

No of copies

Content type

catalogue

Chapter headings

Absence as Presence: An Introduction to (the Heart that Has No Love/ Pain/ Generosity is not A Heart) - Haema SIVANESAN

A Stairway Within The Mountain: Bearing Witness to the Destruction of the Ancient Bamiyan Statues of the Buddha - Kathy GANNON

Seeking Asylum: Afghans in Australia - Paula ABOOD

Related event

venue	date

Artist

Jayce SALLOUM,

Khadim ALI

Organiser

23rd Images Festival,

Institute for Contemporary Culture at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto,

South Asian Visual Arts Centre (SCVAC) (Toronto, Canada)

(The Heart that has no Love/Pain/Generosity is Not a Heart)

Citation

Rights statement

In Copyright

What does this mean?

This item is covered by one or more copyrights. It is available for research only or use within Hong Kong’s fair dealing rules. Please do not copy, re-use or reproduce this item without the permission of the copyright holder.

Collections

The Heart that Has No Love/Pain/Generosity Is Not a Heart