top of page

title. Tora Bora - the unknown masterpiece

date. 2010

place. Museum on the Seam, Jerusalem / Meinblau Berlin

size. 400 x 400 x 250 cm

material. MDF, Acrystal

Tora Bora – The Unknown Masterpiece(Where is Osama bin Laden hiding?)By tackling the question Where is Osama bin Laden hiding? Sven Kalden reaches directly into the center of an area oscillating between fictionand reality. In his model of Tora Bora, he gives shape to the mythical cave com-plex: That cave fortress located in the white mountains and shrouded in le-gends. Shortly after the start of the Afghanistan war, sketches and detailed reports of unknown origin appeared, preparing legendary and speculative terrain for the audience. Apparently, both the CIA and the Saudi Arabian bin Laden Group were involved in the development of these caves as a shelter and refuge for the mujahideen, at the time fightingagainst the Soviet presence. This would explain the knowledge that the USA had regarding the internal structure of these caves. It’s therefore even more surprising that this site, well known by the Americans, was supposedly chosen by bin Laden and Al Qaeda as their shelter.
bottom of page