
Ahsan Javaid
16th august, 2025
Acrylic on canvas
32.5x38 inches
On August 16, a church was set ablaze, its destruction a stark reminder of how religious tensions erupt into violence. Decades earlier, under a regime that wielded public punishment as...
On August 16, a church was set ablaze, its destruction a stark reminder of how religious tensions erupt into violence. Decades earlier, under a regime that wielded public punishment as a tool of order, bodies became sites of discipline and control.
16th August, reflects on the ways violence—both sanctioned and spontaneous—becomes embedded in collective memory. By layering moments of destruction and punishment, the work examines how power manifests through spectacle, discipline, and erasure. It considers the fluidity of historical narratives, where sites of faith and authority converge, revealing the tensions between control, resistance, and the fragility of what endures.
16th August, reflects on the ways violence—both sanctioned and spontaneous—becomes embedded in collective memory. By layering moments of destruction and punishment, the work examines how power manifests through spectacle, discipline, and erasure. It considers the fluidity of historical narratives, where sites of faith and authority converge, revealing the tensions between control, resistance, and the fragility of what endures.