This power is vividly demonstrated in the works of Güler Ateş, a UK-based artist whose artistic practice explores themes of identity, displacement, and belonging. During her month-long residency at the Instituto Inclusartiz in Rio de Janeiro in 2014, Ateş created a series of five archival prints as part of her ‘Object’ series.
Deeply rooted in her own experiences as a woman born in Eastern Turkey and raised in a shantytown in Istanbul, these works delve into the nuances of identity politics through the lens of cross-cultural displacement. By incorporating everyday artefacts, such as kitchen utensils commonly found in lower-class Brazilian homes, Ateş imbues these objects with a sense of nostalgia and belonging.
One particularly evocative performance depicted in this series took place in front of the Church of São Francisco de Paula, a historical landmark in Rio de Janeiro. A woman, her face concealed by a long blue veil, drags a collection of silver pots, pans, and cutlery behind her. These everyday objects, precariously balanced on the veil, created a compelling visual metaphor symbolising the weight of cultural memory and the experience of being forced to leave your home, community and native land.
Image: Güler Ateş, ‘Object performance III’, 2014, archival print, H104 mm x W76 mm, and ‘Object Performance V,’ 2014, archival digital print, H136 mm x W95 mm.
Courtesy and ©Güler Ateş, Gözde Altun and Renée Pfister Art & Gallery Consultancy, 2024.
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