Zainab

Zainab reckons with her experience of growing up in Kashmir – one of the most densely militarised zones in the world. Nestled in the Himalayan region, and often exoticised as “Paradise on Earth”, Kashmir is claimed by both India and Pakistan as their own territory, while Kashmiris are denied their right to self-determination. Since 1948, when the United Nations mandated a plebiscite to resolve the territorial dispute—it was never implemented—this festering conflict has seen civil uprisings, as well as an armed resistance in Indian-administered Kashmir.

In August 2019, the Indian government abrogated Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which had held out symbolic autonomy to the residents of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. This was followed by a period marked by a military siege and a prolonged communications black-out, eliminating access to phones or the internet. The Weight of Snow On Her Chest was made in this period.

Distilling the effects of an enforced and oppressive isolation, Zainab renders a portrait of a home in Kashmir. These images depict the suffocation and anxiety of daily life in a region where both identity and existence are constantly under threat. Accompanied by verses that illustrate the situation in her homeland, the photographs are recast as metaphors.

“Home is in a constant state of despair, beautiful and tragic— all in the same breath. Flowers bloom and wither and leaves change their colour, but the heart refuses to be happy. Life remains bound by limits, we are always packing preparing for self-exile, leaving the country engulfed in forced silence. For days, we do not hear our own voice. With the onset of winter, a lull takes over and grandmother often complains that she feels the weight of snow on her chest.”