- 18 Apr 2015
“Caved” by the Taliban – A photo exhibition
Synopsis:
The photography exhibition provided insights into the lives of hundreds of cave dwellers living under the shadows of the Bamiyan Buddhas blown up by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Driven there partly by poverty and partly by the Taliban, the cave dwellers’ living conditions are primitive. Their Spartan cave homes are literally holes in the wall – some carved by wind and rain, while others had been hand-dug decades or even centuries ago.
The works depicted the lives of the cave dwellers living without any proper sewage system, running water and electricity. Most of them eke out a living in the potato fields in the Bamiyan valleys, displaying resilience and dignity while living under hardship. Photographer Zann Huizhen Huang aimed to raise awareness about the highly precarious future of these cave dwellers while at the same time, highlighting the exotic beauty of the landscape of Afghanistan. With a large scale withdrawal of US troops at the end of 2014, along with the curtailment of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) activities and presence, conceivable threats loom over this largely peaceful province again.
Everyone was invited (via compulsory registration) to attend the launch of “Caved” by the Taliban photo exhibition on Saturday, 18th April at 5pm. The exhibition ran from 19th April to 30th April daily from 10am to 10pm.
About the Speakers
Photojournalist
A self-taught and self-funded photographer, Zann Huizhen Huang began her first serious foray into photojournalism after the tsunami in January 2005. She has covered humanitarian and socio-political issues in the Middle East and Asia. Her images have been published in Time magazine, Le Monde, Geo Italia, L’expresso etc.
Zann’s works have garnered numerous international awards and were exhibited in highly regarded photo festivals such as Noorderlicht 2006, Visa Pour L’image 2007, New York Photofest 2009, Espace Dupon 2010, Reportage Australia 2010, Angkor Photofest 2011 and 2013, Arles Photography Salon 2012, Photo Romania 2012, Chobi Mela 2013, Tenshin Okakura Gallery, supported by the JAPAN Foundation and Goethe Institut 2013, Month of Photography Bulgaria 2013, Copenhagen, Palm Spring and Obscura Photofestivals 2013, Alliance Francaise 2013, Penang Arts Centre 2014, The Arts House at the Old Parliament 2011 to 2014, Singapore International Foundation – Diversecity 2014 at the National Museum of Singapore.
Zann is a TEDx Singapore and Kuala Lumpur speaker in 2012. She is also a judge for NOISE Singapore 2013. In 2014, Zann received the Magnum Foundation Emergency Award for her work on “Remember Shatila” and she has also been appointed as a cultural ambassador for the Singapore Internationale.
