LOK FOR LOK

The Bond Across Borders

A freight car departing from Pakistan border.
A Wakhi child
At the China–Pakistan border, the curator stands before the gate leading into China.
A traditional Tajik house
A traditional Wakhi house
The Wakhan Corridor
Traditional handicrafts featuring two sides adorned with the national flags of both countries.
The two national flags
An elderly Wakhi woman
A view of the Pamir Mountains on the Chinese side
A Wakhi man selling jade in China
A Tajik driver who is a member of the Communist Party of China
A young Tajik woman performing a dance
The interior of a traditional Tajik house
An elderly woman making a fire for cooking inside a traditional Wakhi house
Men sharing snacks inside a traditional Wakhi house
Portraits of Communist Party leaders hanging in a Tajik room
This 5-minute VR film accompanies the exhibition, presenting the daily flag-lowering ceremony at the Pakistan–India Wagah–Attari border, seen from both sides.
The curator, who has personally crossed the border and witnessed the ceremony twice brings this dual experience into the work.
At the moment when the flags cross each other at sunset, the voices of Hijra and Khawaja Sara greeting across the divide rise through the soundscape.
The curator’s mom, a Khawaja Sara guru in Lahore, thanks her Indian counterparts for looking after her “daughter.”

A Hijra from India at home
A Hijra sitting near the temple
A Khawaja Sara from Pakistan
Hijras sitting near the temple
A Hijra from India at home
A Khawaja Sara from Pakistan showing pictures of own guru
The Bahuchara Mata Temple. The Hijras in North India believe that Bahuchara Mata is their goddess
A Khawaja Sara from Pakistan putting on makeup
Two Khawaja Saras from Pakistan posing proudly
A Khawaja Sara guru with a disciple
A Khawaja Sara guru performing a dance during a Sufi memorial ceremony
An elderly Khawaja Sara asking for her share after blessing a newborn baby
A Khawaja Sara sister offering prayers to Allah

A Khawaja Sara guru regarded by the curator as ami (mom)
First encounter with ami

A sister’s view during a blessing ceremony

A group chat on an ordinary afternoon with the guru and sisters

Bitten by bedbugs and wrapped by ami

Getting ready for the bhadai function

Sharing a bed with the sisters

Counting money during the ceremony

Feeling eased and happy

Treating ami on my side to celebrate Pakistan Day

Watching my own TV program on the bus 

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