Now is Time for a New World Order Free from Artificial Borders
Now Is Time for a New World Order, Free From Artificial Borders. BIBI. 48”x48”. Oil on Canvas.
My most recent piece “Now Is Time for a New World Order, Free From Artificial Borders” tells the story of my identity as a Pashtun, an ethnic group indigenous to the region of Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan. I aim to reclaim my identity while illuminating the violent partitioning of this region. After 15 years of separation from my family, I believe these practices must be reimagined, especially as rates of global displacement reach 100 million people. This project is the start of a longer conversation on the ways arbitrary borders sever & control people's relationships to their own lands & communities.
This piece directly addresses the Durand Line, a borderline devised by the British, who tactfully split Pashtun lands as a means of protecting their colonial assets in India and disrupting political control of the indigenous population who they were unable to colonize. Cutting them off from the coastline and fracturing former trade relationships, this move permanently affected the tribes of this region and the Afghan people. The borderline and subsequently a portion of the land that was severed from its people became a large part of Pakistan, with Afghanistan being the only member in the UN to vote against its creation in 1947 as they disputed the Durand Line. Today, this border is lined with barbed wire as Pakistan continues to sink its teeth into the legality set by the British. I believe this colonial history is necessary in understanding the many facets of exploitation my people have endured, and can explain much of the issues we see today.
In my pursuit to discover my own canon of Afghan art, I found the textile works of my people to be the greatest teacher & I wish to spotlight their artistry. This painting is influenced by Alighiero Boetti’s Mappa series, a collection of 150 tapestries that captured the changing world map through cemented processes of modern nationalization. The work was all woven by Pashtun women from the years 1971 to 1994, with their contributions spanning from the colors to the spontaneous poetry captured throughout the pieces. Despite the way these women fall into the backdrop of the collection, their handiwork is captured through every stitch.
I similarly used the phenomenon of Afghan War Rugs to guide my storytelling. Afghan War Rugs are a type of weaving style that emerged in the midst of the 9 year Soviet occupation Afghanistan experienced at the height of the Cold War, and have endured through the civil conflict and US occupation. These rugs are characterized by incorporating war iconography, such as grenades, tanks, ak-47s, and other military grade equipment, and frequently depict scenes of conflict like the fall of the twin towers, which cast its greatest shadow over innocent Afghan and Iraqi people. In my own interpretation of these works, I use the borders of the canvas to frame my own tales of war and hardship, using the same iconography found in these woven pieces.
The symbols of the peace sign and bullseye represent many things. The peace that a place can bring, and the violence that comes along with it. The desire for peace and the struggle of being a target. And the ways that peace must be fought for indefinitely. In the painting I stand holding these two entities while wearing traditional Pashtun attire, standing with my feet caught in the crossfires. This symbolizes the paralyzation of the war and my inability to see my family because of it.
I view my work as an opportunity to tie the threads of myself and the rest of my family living far away. Shocked by war, borders, exile, law, and order while also shaped by the love that defied these things, I want to capture these tremendous feelings through symbolism and storytelling. This piece captures a dream-like fantasy of reuniting with my family and my homeland, living a life of eternal peace. Throughout our lives my family has been stripped of our agency and routinely made the victims of injustice, but our collective warrior spirit has made us more than just survivors. Though I feel blessed that we survived the life we were handed, I believe that our story should not only be heard, but honored.
My work is a statement declaring that our stories will not be erased nor our tragedies overlooked. I hope to inform the broader community about the truths of the world and pass down these stories to the generations to come as a means to understand the difficult aftermath with which we are left. I hope to expand this project to the stories of other warriors in my life who have faced similar hardships in the ways power, money, and possession dismantled their communities, and whose indigeneity threatened their existence.
ALIGHIERO BOETTI, MAPPA, 1989-1991.