Reaper (2016) in IWM Contemporary: Mahwish Chishty © IWM In her mission to build a greater conversation around the pervasive presence of military drones in Pakistan, Mahwish Chishty's artwork juxtaposes the silhouettes of UAVs with colourful, ornate Pakistani folk art patterns, creating a beautiful and disturbing experience.
The first reported drone strike in Pakistan occurred over a decade ago in 2004, as the US launched full-throttle into its global war on terror. Since then, drones have been employed as official counter-terrorist strategy. The covert nature of remote control warfare adds a further dimension to militarisation in the region with worryingly little accountability.
The way we wage war has changed. In an age of increased public surveillance, should we be worried that the use of drones has become standard practice in modern warfare?
