Iraqi women (Najaf)

Depicts a group of Iraqi women, in the city of Najaf, wailing and grieving in a room below images of lost men. The painting, as a small vignette, is encircled by a red, black and gold decorative frame derived from and influenced by the traditions of Afghan miniature painting. In 2004, in response to the 'wilful destruction of world heritage and religious buildings and the looting of museums during the invasion of Iraq', the artist, Elizabeth Ashburn began to study aspects of Middle Eastern culture. An artist, teacher, writer and academic, Ashburn is Emeritus Professor at the University of New South Wales (COFA). She attended an adult education course in miniature painting, conducted by the Afghan artist Abdul Karim Rahimi, an artist and academic who migrated to Australia in 1998. This painting combines delicate imagery derived from the tradition of central Asian miniature painting, with a small scene of the war in Iraq, contrasting the glorious heritage of Iraq with the ugly realities of everyday life in this country. Her work also provided a unique form of war documentation in 'the age of embedded journalism, selected briefings and non-stop cable TV', highlighting the global nature of contemporary warfare and the cultural impact of war in the twenty-first century.