Babur, the first Mughal ruler in India, was fond of his gardens and frequently wrote to his governor instructing him on what to plant and where. These gardens, known as Bagh-e-Babur, were built after Babur’s invasion of Kabul in 1504 and include terraces, water channels, pools, and a marble mosque. Babur’s remains were later relocated to Kabul and his epitaph reads ‘Paradise is forever Babur Padshah’s abode’. The gardens, which were a source of solace for many, were depicted in artist Ahmadzai’s series ‘Bagh-e-Babur’.

The exhibition features compositions that resemble labyrinths or architectural floor plans. The paintings evoke a personalized reading of the gardens through the artist’s own experience of walking through them. Incomplete and therefore open-ended, these works preclude the easy closure of historical memory into the present.