Disappeared

Red thread sewn on sketch with hand-pressed wildflower

Artist’s Statement: As a Kashmiri, the fear of being engulfed by sudden disappearance haunts me. The sudden but enforced disappearance of our family members, friends, colleagues, neighbors, the boy who I saw crossing the road this morning, the girl who smiles at me every day as I go to her father’s shop and also, myself. The collective fear and anger that results from these disappearances is visible on our faces, mocking our existence, butchered by violence and its everydayness. Disappeared is an artist’s attempt to accept that fear and give it a voice, beyond academic research and legal jargon.

Sabahat Ali Wani is a writer and artist from Kashmir. She likes her art to be non-conformist, avant-garde and experimental. She is the co-founder of Maaje Zevwe, a Kashmiri women-led magazine, aiming to put forward bold and critical opinions across the themes of Kashmiri Language, Music and Resistance. You can access Maaje Zevwe’s work here: https://maajezevwe.com/.

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