“in his video (Gaining and losing 2012), a short narrative in four episodes overlaps past , present, and future. Referring to the massive destruction of archeological artifacts at the Kabul National Museum of Afghanistan during the past decade, and to the current reconstruction of Afghan cultural infrastructure, Omarzad plunges us in a troubled space time of fear and desire, disappointment and waiting, underlining the incongruous calm and suspended tension of the present condition in Afghanistan. Here, physical disability symbolizes the cultural, economic, military, and political need for understanding and enablement in the face of a country full of contradictions and potentialities, as well as the west’s unilateral and simplistic perception of it .” documenta 13.
“Structured in four episodes, the film Gaining and Losing addresses the massive destruction of archaeological artefacts at the Kabul National Museum of Afghanistan over the last decade, and the current rebuilding of the nation’s cultural institutions. Responding to a deeply troubled present tense, the film questions the relationship of institutionalized historical narratives to the suspended tension of the present condition in Afghanistan. The film’s viewpoint is troublingly low, and we watch the legs of figures walking by, out of sync with the beat of military marching in the background. Books and boxes of museum objects inexplicably travel across the screen, into an unseen ‘off-stage’, some falling spectacularly and slowly to the dust. Other pedestrians hop, shuffle and hobble by, their movements stilted and effortful. The artist has written of physical disability as symbolizing the cultural, economic and political challenges facing the country, as well as the West’s often one-dimensional perception of it. Focused on themes of change and renewal, Omarzad’s work has been strongly influenced by local street culture.” Whit Chapel Gallery.