Abbotsleigh
Carpet Bombing; The Buddhas of Bamiyan
Printmaking
Dry point, relief and digital prints
Both my mother and grandfather are archaeologists, and my family values the importance of remembering and preserving the past. This body of work is inspired by the Taliban’s destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan: sixth century AD statues in Afghanistan that were a central piece of worship within Gandharan Buddhist culture and a place of cultural importance. My work represents this event and wider notions of Islamic culture’s implacable hostility to anthropomorphic art. The prints have been woven together like a carpet to reference the carpet bombing that these Buddhas endured and have been shredded and burnt to express destruction.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the artist Imants Tillers.