An ongoing project, depicting Afghan and internal refugees who live in slums around Islamabad.
Shadows of Pakistan (2015 - now)
Once upon a time, in a country far, far away from here... a girl named Alice made a journey beyond imagination. She crossed the Valley of the Dead, she walked and walked, until she arrived at the Dark River. On the other side of this river, there was a land, also described as the land of the Unknowns. This land, un unknown kingdom, is where the Shadows lived. Alice was hoping to meet them, and to learn about the lives the Shadows lived.
After putting her first step onto the land of the Unknowns, Alice felt terrified. Maybe, you might say, she even felt a bit appalled. Everything around her smelled. And the smell was so, so bad. There was dirt, everywhere on the ground. There was even, literally... shit. Everywhere, of humans and of animals. The air was penetrated of all the dirt. She thought, how can it be possible to live a humane life here?
But then, a girl appeared. She smiled and waved, she wrapped a dupatta around her head and played peek a boo, as if her magical dupatta could made her disappear for a second. Alice was mesmerized. “What a beautiful girl! And she is friendly to me, although I am a stranger into her land.” But both Alice and this girl, immediately saw the magic into each other, and realized, this magic will bond them, no matter how different they might be.
Alice forgot all about time, and played with a group of little children, the young Shadows. Alice was amazed, by all the magic these children could see. Alice thought, “these children have to live in such poor circumstances, but a smile appears out of nowhere. Just a little balloon can make their day. One balloon can entertain an entire village.” They ran, they laughed, they found numerous ways to play. “They are full of imagination. They know how to create magic!” And as Alice is known to love everything magic, she felt grateful to see the children play, and asked them, if she could show them some of her magic as well. This is when she invited them into one of her fairytales. Together with the little Shadows, she recreated an old fairytale book, about the kings of old times. And the palaces of these kings, got filled with the live of the shadows. Now, if you listen well, you can hear their laughter echoing off the walls, of the magnificent palaces of medieval times.
In January 2015, Alice started her project Shadows of Pakistan. She had the chance to visit Islamabad, and to travel to the outskirts of the city, which inhabits unregistered Afghan and internal refugees. Alice got to know about the subject, through the work of two time Pulitzer prize winner Muhammed Muheisen. Before the refugee crisis became an important topic, Muheisen’s camera was turned to the most vulnerable group of people society knows. Today, there are 2,5 million registered Afghan refugees still in Pakistan.
In 2015, Wielinga joined Muheisen on a challenging and inspiring journey, to meet the people he had photographed. "Especially the children were a source of inspiration to me. They seemed to not have lost their sence of imagination, the smiles on their faces, although they went through hardship beyond my imagination."
Using the visual language of Islam medieval miniature art, she recreates the castles and depictions of the Persian empire’s court life. "I wonder if the wealth and stories of old times, can still echo into their contemporary situation full of hardship. Their situation makes me sad. I realize, my work can never be more than a prayer, a whisper of hope. But those beautiful children, they need it the most”.
A preview of Shadows of Pakistan at Photoville
A preview of the series Shadows of Pakistan was displayed during the 2017 edition of Photoville in New York City.
