Wounds #1 is a photograph (60 x 45 cm) on archival paper, featuring tightly arranged crepe bandages partially submerged in a transparent, black liquid. The bandages, sourced from India, are placed in a stainless steel tray, evoking a sterile medical environment. The glistening, ink-like fluid, resembling blood, seeps into the frayed mesh of the fabric, highlighting its deeply saturated texture, while a black void emerges, like an endless blot. While the bandages suggest care, the seeping blackness reveals a wound that defies healing—an emotional strain that continues to haunt the soldier on the Siachen Glacier. The pitch-black scar, surfacing within the bandages, suggests that the wound is both the cause and consequence of its endless depth. The orderly arrangement of the bandages reflects military discipline, yet trauma and accidents expose how this structure unravels, revealing the chaos beneath.

Wounds #1 is part of Baptist Coelho’s ongoing multimedia series, Wounds, which explores the physical and psychological scars of soldiers stationed on the Siachen Glacier, one of the harshest and most isolated places on Earth. It also reflects on how, with care and resilience, soldiers might heal, suggesting that even deep wounds could be overcome, though not without enduring challenges. The series draws inspiration from ‘Wounds’, a body of work by Somnath Hore (1921-2006), an Indian sculptor and printmaker, who depicted the harsh realities of suffering caused by famine, war, and conflict.

Wounds #1 was first exhibited as part of the artist’s solo exhibition, It still hasn’t ended at Bâtiment IV, Esch-sur-Alzette, from 30 May to 14 June 2024. The exhibtion was supported by University of Luxembourg, Department of Social Sciences.