On 15 March 2019, a terrorist attacked the Al Noor Mosque (Masjid An-Nur) and Linwood Islamic Centre in Ōtautahi Christchurch. He killed fifty-one of the people who had gathered in peaceful worship, and left forty injured. The lasting trauma of that event is part of this photograph, where the memory of those taken becomes present through the grief of those who survived. It is from a series made by Colombian-born artist Janneth Gil with the support of several women from the Muslim community whose lives changed forever on that day. Many have actively promoted dialogue, respect and empathy. It now falls to the wider communities of Ōtautahi and Aotearoa New Zealand to work to dismantle the racism that motivated this tragedy. The artist acknowledges the team from the Widows of Shuhada documentary project, members from the Linwood Islamic Centre and Al Noor Mosque (Masjid An-Nur), Tim J. Veling, and the affected families of the Shuhada (martyrs): Ambreen Naeem, Angela Armstrong, Farah Talal, Dr Hamimah Tuyan, Muhubo Ali Jama, Sanjida Jaman Neha and Shafia Begum.

(Absence, May 2023)