Feature Articles

September Issue 2002

Halsey Gallery in Charleston, SC, Features Photographs by Simon Norfolk

The William Halsey Gallery at the College of Charleston's School of the Arts is hosting an exhibition entitled Afghanistan: Palimpsest, featuring photographs by Simon Norfolk, which will be on view through Oct. 5, 2002. The artist will give a lecture on Oct. 3. at 6:30pm in the Recital Hall of the Simons Center for the Arts. In conjunction with this exhibition, Dr. Vishanka N. Desai will present two public lectures on Sept. 25 and Sept. 26; both begin at 8pm in Room 309. All lectures and receptions are free with the public encouraged to attend.

"Pal'imp-sest," n [Gr. palimpsestos, rubbed again; palin. again, and psen, to rub.] A parchment from which one writing has been erased, and on which another has been written.

Scheduled to coincide with the anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks and the subsequent United States War on Terror, the Halsey Gallery's upcoming exhibition Afghanistan: Palimpsest will offer the viewer an opportunity to reflect on these cataclysmic events and more specifically the plight of the Afghani people caught in the middle of this international struggle and left to rebuild a country in ruins from generations of war. While not intended as a critique of any national or international policies, this exhibition does seek to create a forum for the consideration and discussion of the future within this troubled region. This exhibition pairs Simon Norfolk's stark photographs depicting the landscape of war-ravaged Afghanistan, with traditional textiles produced by the nomadic Baluchi tribesmen of Northern Afghanistan. These antique textiles include rugs, saddlebags, and other traditional woven arts from the collection of Clay Stewart.

The juxtaposition of these ancient textiles with contemporary depictions of the Afghani landscape creates an occasion for reconsidering the state of this troubled region. Norfolk's photographs themselves reinforce the theme of palimpsest. Many of the images capture the aftermath and detritus of the generations of violent conflicts in Afghanistan as well as subtle evidence of reclamation. They display the incremental efforts to "rewrite" the Afghani nation. Norfolk uses a large-format camera to render an exquisite level of detail in these large (40" x 50") digital prints. According to one reviewer, "the intense detail in the bareness and clarity of the raw countryside and ancient-looking stone edifices creates the uncanny illusion of looking out a window onto a distant land."

Norfolk was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1963 and educated in England finishing at Oxford and Bristol Universities with a degree in Philosophy and Sociology. After leaving the Documentary Photography course in Newport, South Wales, he worked for far-left publications specializing in work on anti-racist activities and fascist groups, in particular the British National Party. In 1994 he gave up photo-journalism in favor of landscape photography. His work is held by private collectors and in the collections of The Portland (Oregon) Art Museum, the British Council, the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, and the Weismann Art Museum in Minneapolis. Norfolk's editorial work has appeared in such periodicals as The Observer, The Sunday Times Magazine, the New York Times Magazine, The South China Morning Post, and La Republica's Magazine.

Dr. Vishakha N. Desai is Senior Vice-President and Director of the Museum and Cultural Programs at the Asia Society, New York, NY. As Director of the Museum, (1990-present), she is responsible for all programs related to the visual arts of Asia. New initiatives include national and international tours of contemporary art exhibitions by Asian and Asian-American artists in North America and Asia, with related public programs and publications, development of education materials using interactive technologies, and new partnerships with culturally diverse institutions and individuals throughout the US and Asia. As Director of Cultural Programs, (1993-present), she is responsible for national and international projects in the visual and performing arts, films, multidisciplinary programs, conferences and related publications.

On Sept. 25 her talk, entitled The Bamiyan Buddhas and the 'Soul' of Afghanistan: Who Decides the Fate of Culture in Time of War, looks not only at the destruction of the colossal Buddha images from Bamiyan, Afghanistan, but also at the destruction of the cultural heritage of the region under the Taliban regime. She will consider the situation in Afghanistan in the context of such issues as they affect not only South Asia, but also other regions of the world under siege. On Sept. 26, her talk will be: Beyond Boundaries: Asian Art in the Age of Globalization.

This talk focuses on contemporary art of Asian and Asian-American artists, a topic she has been instrumental in advancing. Desai was one of the first museum curators in the U.S. to mount a major exhibit of Asian-American art in addition to other innovative and provocative topics. Her visit is co-sponsored by the Department of Art History and the Program in Asian Studies at the College. She has been selected to be the Quattlebaum Scholar-in-Residence at the College for the year 2002.

For more information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings or contact the Halsey Gallery at 843/953-5680.

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