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Please introduce yourself, describe what your artistic practice is focused on at the moment?

I was born in Istanbul and am still based in Istanbul. In my practice I focus on alternative histories, non-human witnesses, and denied evidences. Through personal narratives, I research traces, ruins, documents, archives, accounts, silences, memories, and imaginaries that are not included in, or kept hidden from social memory. Between reality and fiction, I try to discuss possible futures and unrevealed pasts by exploring myth making and rituals. I use different mediums in my practice but mainly focus on text and image-making. I am also interested in how dominant ideologies have been created. I mimic the act of categorizing, ordering and collecting of public institutions that functions in knowledge production. Generally, I collaborate with different cultural producers such as independent radio stations, local newspapers, sound engineers, graphic designers, performers, and so on.

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What are your real and desired conditions for art production?

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https://wageforwork.com/about/womanifesto#top

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What are your experiences of collaborative art and educational practices so far?

In 2018 I was making big decisions for my life. I was trying to decide where to live, where to continue my studies and what to do with my life, etc. And Turkey (where I am based) was as problematic as it was now. I decided to open an artist run space in a very chaotic and economically challenging period of time. Poşe artist run space became my school immediately. I have learned all I needed to learn from my collaborators and peers. The space itself has thought me many things too. It was truly a collective work. We did many exhibitions, talks, books, panels… We even created an open seminar series that went for 2 years, where we invited professors, artists, activist, researchers, historians, anthropologists, filmmakers to discuss certain themes that were urgent at the time. It was free and open to everyone. Especially in Covid times, it was one of the greatest resources for many of us.

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How do these times of economic, social and ecological crises affect your art practice?

I guess I don’t remember a time without any of these crises, to be honest. Especially if you come from a certain region of the world, you have to bury your head in the sand to not get affected by it. I think I started my art practice because of these crises.

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Name about 10 words/associations/notions that first come to your mind when you think of engaged eco-social participatory practices?

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