Bamiyan Mirror

The Bamiyan Mirror series of ten photographs derives from Cobbing’s artist residency at Turquoise Mountain in Afghanistan, during which he created a series of photographs of the sandstone niches left behind after the Taliban destruction of the Buddha monuments in Bamiyan. The photographs depict the Buddha niches reflected in a mirror, furthering the erasure of their image and entropic dispersal.

Images from the Bamiyan Mirror series were shown at Furini Arte Contemporanea, Rome in 2010 and then at Viafarini DOCVA, Milan. Both exhibitions were curated by Rita Selvaggio, with the intention of surveying Cobbing’s work over the last two years, as well as commissioning new artworks, responsive to the distinctive former tram depot location of Viafarini DOCVA. A pamphlet was published for the Milan exhibition with essays by Rita Selvaggio, and Milovan Farronato (Artistic Director of Viafarini DOCVA), produced in separate English/Italian editions. The Viafarini exhibition opened on 15 September 2010, as part of the ‘START’ series of gallery/museum openings and events in Milan to mark the opening of the new season, the most significant event of the year. Viafarini, is a non- profit organization for contemporary art founded in 1991 and provides an exhibition space for experimentation. The exhibition received funding from Italian organisations Fondazione Carpilo, Gemmo, and from British Council for Cobbing’s Bamiyan Mirror photographs.