Lavkant Chaudhary’s “ . . .” Batiya Herati Rahana Ankhi (Waiting for lost souls . . .) is a terracotta installation that eloquently narrates the oppressed history of the Tharu Indigenous people. Presented as a memorial pillar, the work is based on Lavkant’s recent commision for an onsite monument commemorating civilians subject to enforced disappearances in Bardiya District, Nepal – an area that witnessed disproportionate levels of violence during the ten-year conflict (1996–2006) in Nepal.

The Tharu community bore the brunt of state-sponsored violence during the war. Tharu individuals were often subject to suspicion based merely on their ethnicity, leading to interrogations, physical abuse and forcible arrests, as well as frequent disappearances and killings. Chaudhary explores this history in his practice and creates works that honour his community and their culture. His installation is an attempt to contextualise trauma and simultaneously acknowledge pain, while questioning the role of justice in such periods of violence.