Three Battles and One War
Collection:UAL Art Collection
Date: 2020
Artist: Oscar Abdulla (British)
Dimensions:
8 min 36 sec
Medium: Digital video
Object number: UAC 1026
DescriptionOscar studied MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at London College of Communication. He says:
'Three Battles and One War explores the mass incarceration of Uighur Muslims in
Xinjiang, China, through the spatial analysis of satellite photography of known
camps. Through this analysis opaque walls, both political and physical are
rendered transparent as the sheer volumetric scale of the architecture of
incarceration is represented at the human level in the video installation. Themes
of absence, presence and representation run throughout as the viewer is guided
through the prison like maze of architectural structures, the testimony of
Mihrigul Turson shines through the monochromatic landscape with humanity and
presence. The absence of any humans within this space acts in stark contrast to
this testimony, reminding the viewer that the subjects at the very heart of this
work are occluded from us, through this absence they become radically present.'
'Three Battles and One War explores the mass incarceration of Uighur Muslims in
Xinjiang, China, through the spatial analysis of satellite photography of known
camps. Through this analysis opaque walls, both political and physical are
rendered transparent as the sheer volumetric scale of the architecture of
incarceration is represented at the human level in the video installation. Themes
of absence, presence and representation run throughout as the viewer is guided
through the prison like maze of architectural structures, the testimony of
Mihrigul Turson shines through the monochromatic landscape with humanity and
presence. The absence of any humans within this space acts in stark contrast to
this testimony, reminding the viewer that the subjects at the very heart of this
work are occluded from us, through this absence they become radically present.'