Like us? 
(the heart that has no love/pain/generosity is not a heart)
14 September - 22 October 2010
Opened by Mr Tom MacDonald, Consul General of Canada
Curated by Haema Sivanesan, this multi-faceted installation comprises an archive of photographs, miniature paintings and videos which examine the aftermath of the destruction of the colossal 5th century Buddhas of the Bamiyan Valley in Central Afghanistan in 2001.
In April 2008, Jayce Salloum travelled with Afghan-Hazara artist Khadim Ali from Karachi, Pakistan to Kabul, Afghanistan and then overland into the Bamiyan Valley. The artists' traveled independently and to some extent clandestinely. The land is scarred by decades of conflict, ravaged by drought and desperate poverty, troubled by tribal rivalries and a persistent Taliban presence. Of specific interest to the artists were the ruined cave sites of the Buddhas, destroyed by the Taliban in March 2001. The ruins of the Bamiyan Buddhas provided a site from which to examine the situation of the Hazara people, a persecuted Shi'a Muslim minority, who believe themselves to be descended from the sculptors who produced the colossal figures of the Buddha.
Through the process of a cross-cultural collaboration, 
(the heart that has no love/pain/generosity is not a heart) records the destitution of current conditions in Bamiyan, reflecting on the sites of signification and rupture shaping an incipient modernity in Afghanistan. The project documents a significant moment in the history of the Hazara people, many of whom are seeking asylum in the West.
The exhibition engages a sense of the complexity of the current situation in Afghanistan, taking up themes of the possibility of resistance, hope, beauty in the context of ongoing conflict.
Accompanying Panel Discussion
Held on Friday 17th September 1-2.30 pm with Paula Abood, Stephen Dupont, Khadim Ali and Haema Sivanesan discussing the issues raised in the exhibition.
(the heart that has no love/pain/generosity is not a heart) has recently been exhibited at The Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) from April 2 - May 3 2010
(the heart that has no love/pain/generosity is not a heart) was co-commissioned by SAVAC (South Asian Visual Arts Centre), Toronto and the Alternator Gallery for Contemporary Art, Kelowna with support from Arts Partners in Creative Development, British Columbia.
With support from the Consulate General of Canada, Sydney and Apple
Images from top:
1. Jayce Salloum shrouded.., early spring morning from the hotel, Buddha cave site, Bamiyan, Hazarajat, Afghanistan, 4/17/08 [DSCF3106], 2008, digital print.
2. Jayce Salloum as the rain falls, the grey skies reveal nothing but more of the same state of survival, the land slides further into extremes, pushed to the limits, scraping survival, hillside houses, container/containment zone guard post, Kabul, Afghanistan, 4/10/08 [DSCF1964], 2008, digital print.
3. Installation detail from the exhibition at The Institute for Contemporary Culture at the ROM from April 2 - May 3 2010
4. Jayce Salloum assembly promises, the future beckons, hope springs eternal, all is at stake,girls shift 6:30am, lyrics: '...the heart that has no love/pain/generosity is not a heart..' Laisa-e-Maarifat (Marefat School) Dasht-e-Barchi, Mualim Aziz Royish principal, Western Kabul, Afghanistan, 4/12/08 (DSCF2104), 2008, digital print.
5. Khadim Ali, Untitled (Rustun) 2010, watercolour, gouache, pencil on paper.
Courtesy of the artists. Jayce Salloum courtesy MKG127, Toronto.
UTS Gallery supported by Oyster Bay Wines
and Coopers Brewery.
Media Partner: 2ser 
