Bapa Closed His Heart. It Was Over

Born in Uganda of Indian descent, Bhimji has lived in London after her family sought refuge from the regime of Idi Amin who compulsorily expelled all Asians from Uganda. Her recent work has been concerned with revisiting the country of her childhood and engaging with the experience of exile, political and social destruction, and deprivation. This photograph, which belongs to the series "Love", was shot by Bhimji during her journey in Uganda in 2001, but was only edited in 2006. It depicts Entebbe airport, the site of evacuation of Asian refugees as well as the site of a daring attempt to resolve a hijacking crisis by Israeli forces in 1976. Although still functioning, principally for private aircraft, it is dilapidated. Commercial flights use a more modern airport, as though Entebbe airport is too scarred by history to be reused. The contrast between the private aircraft and the destitute building is striking. The work evokes a bygone era as well as the consequences of enforced action. The play of light and shadow is emphatic, the dark interior, with its lattice window frames, evoking prison conditions in contrast to the verdant open landscape. The title of the work refers to Bhimji's father and his decision to leave Uganda, thus closing a chapter of the family history. By returning to Uganda, Bhimji has reopened it.