In 1897, Emma Goldman wrote: “I demand the independence of woman, her right to support herself; to live for herself; to love whomever she pleases, or as many as she pleases.”
In 2011, she is currently the muse of a Turkish contemporary artist, Halil Altındere.
In his solo exhibition, which is titled “If I can’t dance, it’s not my revolution,” Altındere uses a motto of the libertarian left wing and makes reference to anarcho-feminist theoretician and activist Goldman. In doing so, Altındere opens a new area for dialogue. Three golden bracelets Altındere produced in putting Goldman’s words into gold are not only jewelry but also mobile art works. The photographs of young women carrying written aphorisms such as “If I can’t dance, it’s not my revolution,” and “I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck” are also powerful and appropriate for Goldman.
Emma Goldman- By Halil Altındere
The artist specifies his material accordingly with his need for the idea and realizes the underrated values of the objects and their plunge points, thus setting a unique example of putting these objects into his own artistic language.
Halil Altındere is one of the best examples of artists in Turkey who are working outside the mainstream, according to Rene Block, a German curator.
“There was a change in the art scene during the 1990s and this change is still continuing,” he told the Hürriyet Daily News in an interview, adding that with the explosion of the Turkish contemporary art world, a very dynamic scene has been born. “Halil Altındere is one of the best representatives of this scene.”
Within this scene, artists have political opinions, new aesthetics and fresh political statements, said Block. “It is a young scene and Halil Altındere is a typical representative of this scene.”
Block is always looking for what is not in the mainstream. “And that’s how I met with Turkish artists,” he said.
Among the artists that belong to the contemporary art scene in Turkey, Altındere uses irony in his works. “He uses irony so well in his works that reflect political statements,” said Block.
With his fresh and controversial style, Altındere has become one of the leading figures of the “95 Generation” thanks to his expression, tone, courageous manner against taboos and self-renewing attitude, Block said.
While his work deals with the dilemma of tradition and modernity, sub-cultures, marginalized minorities, outsiders and pop icons, Atındere also works on cult characters without sacrificing his political views.
Altındere makes people smile and think about the situation, according to Block. “He invites people to think about the political situation,” he said.
Nurse
Block said Altındere’s usage of irony also made foreigners realize what is going on in the politics of the country. “As foreigners, we cannot know all the details but because of the way Altındere presents the art works, he makes us realize [what’s going on].”
Emergence of Arab and Balkan art scene
Block is also interested in the interesting artistic statements coming from outside of Istanbul.
“Outside the Istanbul art scene, there are many interesting artists,” said Block. “For example Fikret Atay, Cengiz Tekin and Ahmet Öğüt are all part of this scene.”
The rising of the Arab artistic arena due to changes in the world is another new trend appearing on the scene. “There are very interesting changes in the art world,” he said, noting that before the art scene was previously dominated by Western Europe, the United States and Latin America.
“However, with the changing scene of the art world, new countries have entered the scene, such as Balkan and Arab countries,” said Block. The most significant reason for this change has been biennales, said Block.
The German curator changed the path of contemporary art through exhibitions at his galleries in Berlin and New York where he also introduced artists as Beuys and Paik to the art world. As he curated the biennales, Block gathered many different artists from different countries. “Biennales mean communication and the world of art needs communication,” he added.