We are at War without Enemies
Hit Man Gurung, 2016
Stippling drawing, acrylic painting on printed on canvas
239 × 360 cm

© Prem Prabhat Gurung

On 25 April 2015, Nepal was hit by an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale. For weeks, aftershocks followed the first quake. And on 12 May, another quake measuring 7.3 occurred, devastating the central part of the country. It was the worst natural disaster to have hit Nepal in recent history. The combined death toll was close to 9,000, with over 21,000 injured and over 2.8 million displaced persons. Innumerable monuments, heritage sites and thousands of houses were destroyed in many districts. In some places, especially around the epicentre, entire villages were razed to the ground. The government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal raised 4.1 billion dollars in funds for rebuilding. Currently, almost four years after the earthquake, thousands of families are living in terrible conditions in temporary shelters. The process of reconstruction and resettlement organised by the government has been slow and poorly organised. The dismal conditions of Nepal’s poorest and most marginalized, already a huge problem prior to the earthquakes, have worsened yet further in the wake of this disaster. Due to Nepal’s difficult, hilly and mountainous topography, hundreds have perished from the cold, floods, landslides and due to precarious living conditions.

The work presented here is dedicated to the survivors of the two earthquakes who lost loved ones and their homes in the 2015 earthquake. The figure depicted with a bandaged face is carrying damaged photographs of his house. I sought to represent the victims and those subjected to immense suffering. One of his photographs is the only remaining picture of his house. Furthermore, as evidence, photographs are the only proof that his home actually existed. Together with other documents, such pictures may be used as evidence; in theory, with these he has a claim to a small government-sponsored relief fund. Sadly, the relief fund is not easily accessible to those without political power. The man’s bandaged face represents his vulnerability, powerlessness, and ignored rights. The background features stacked pictures of landscapes affected by the earthquakes, showing collapsed houses, injured people, destroyed heritage sites, rescue workers and children attempting to escape. I took some of these photographs, while others were taken by friends or else downloaded from the Internet.

The present work is a critical commentary on the hypocrisy of the Nepalese government, as well as the behaviour of those involved in the rebuilding and resettlement process.