The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
Depicts the now infamous image of a cloaked and hooded Iraqi prisoner tortured by American soldiers in Abu Ghraib, Iraq. The painting, as a small vignette, is encircled by a pale and dark blue and gold decorative frame derived from and influenced by the traditions of Afghan miniature painting. In 2004, in response to the 'wilful destruction of world heritage and religious buildings and the looting of museums during the invasion of Iraq', the artist, Elizabeth Ashburn began to study aspects of Middle Eastern culture. An artist, teacher, writer and academic, Ashburn is Emeritus Professor at the University of New South Wales (COFA). She attended an adult education course in miniature painting, conducted by the Afghan artist Abdul Karim Rahimi, an artist and academic who migrated to Australia in 1998. This painting combines delicate imagery derived from the tradition of central Asian miniature painting, with a small scene related to the war in Iraq, contrasting the glorious heritage of Iraq with the ugly realities of everyday life in this country and the disturbing nature of some warfare. Her work also provided a unique form of war documentation in 'the age of embedded journalism, selected briefings and non-stop cable TV', highlighting the global nature of contemporary warfare and the cultural impact of war in the twenty-first century.
Depicts a crowd of Iraqi men standing in front of a smouldering building in Baghdad. The painting, as a small vignette, is encircled by a red, pale blue and dark blue decorative frame derived from and
Depicts a group of Iraqi women, in the city of Najaf, wailing and grieving in a room below images of lost men. The painting, as a small vignette, is encircled by a red, black and gold decorative fram
Depicts two uniformed soldiers in Iraq carrying a dead body through the streets of Baghdad. The painting, as a small vignette, is encircled by a black, blue and gold decorative frame derived from and
Depicts a group of Iraqi women, in the city of Najaf, wailing and grieving in a room below images of lost men. The painting, as a small vignette, is encircled by a red, black and gold decorative fram
Depicts a crowd of Iraqi men standing in front of a smouldering building in Baghdad. The painting, as a small vignette, is encircled by a red, pale blue and dark blue decorative frame derived from and
Depicts two uniformed soldiers in Iraq carrying a dead body through the streets of Baghdad. The painting, as a small vignette, is encircled by a black, blue and gold decorative frame derived from and
Khadim’s AWM works represent Afghanistan through the perspective of everyday Hazaras still living in Afghanistan. From their perspective, Afghanistan is a dangerous and highly charged political and re
A woven woollen carpet with fighting demon figures. The work was developed in collaboration with Afghan artist Sher Ali, who specialises in painting lions in traditional miniature form. Ali represents
This stark image is immediately recognisable as a scene from the 2003 conflicts in Iraq. American soldiers stand on the right of the painting, looking over the corpses of Iraqi men. Moss has based her