Cloth People from Outer Space: Nilbar Güres’s Dialectics of Identity

Cloth People from Outer Space: Nilbar Güreş’s Dialectics of IdentityAuthor(s): Lara FreskoSource: Afterall: A Journal of Art, Context, and Enquiry, Issue 36 (Summer 2014), pp. 86-95Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of Central Saint Martins College of Art andDesign, University of the Arts LondonStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/678342 .

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86 | Afterall



Artists: Nilbar Güres | 87

NilbarGüres’svisuallanguagedrawsfromthemobilityofaglobalisedworld,yetatthesametimerevolvesintenselyaroundspecificlocalitiesandtheidentitiestheyharbour.Inthisrift,herworkoftencapturesthequeernessthatarisesfromtheartist’sownsenseofbeingoutofplace.Oftenfocusingonsubjectswhohavelittleornovisibility,herintricateandelusivevideos,photographsandcollagesattempttofindmomentsofclarityamongstabsurdelementsofquotidianlifeor,conversely,stagescenesthatforegroundtheabsurdityalsohiddenamidstit.Ahouseholdtelephoneliesonthesnowinthemiddleofnowhere;abunchofbedsheetsandblanketshoverintheair;agroupofwomenwateranuprootedtreeintheconstructionzonethatwillsoondevourtheirneighbourhood.Suchscenes,fabricatedbytheartist,genuinely

reflectarealitythateludesrepresentationwithinwhatJacquesRancièrecallsthe‘sensiblefabricofexperience’.‘Art’,hewrites,‘isgiventousthroughthesetransformationsofthesensiblefabric,atthecostofconstantlymergingitsownreasonswiththosebelongingtootherspheresofexperience.’1Güres’sworkshavethusfarbeenreadthroughmanyafeministandqueerperspective.Inthisarticle,Iwilltrytofocusonherwork’swiderwebofsociopoliticalcontextsandconsequences,withparticularattentiontohowidentitiesarelocatedanddislocatedwithinaconflationoffictionalanddocumentarystrategies.

Inthelate1990sandearly2000s,GüresstudiedartinhernativeIstanbulandtheninVienna.InAustria,herworkbecameinformedbythetreatmentofothernessanddiscrimination,asfilteredthroughherownexperienceasaTurkishimmigrantaftersomanyTurkishGastarbeiter.Thisismostvisibleinthefirsttwovideoworkssheproduced,Soyunma(Undressing)andYabancı(Stranger,both2006),whichdealwithwomen,identityanddresscodesastheyrelatetoethnicityandclass.InUndressing,Güressitsatatable,herheadwrappedinlayeruponlayeroffabric—textilesofvaryingprints,sizesandshapes,tiedupinstylesbothformalandinformal.Uponremoving,orunveiling,eachlayer,shenamesafemalerelative:‘AuntBesire’,‘Asiye’,‘mygrandmother’,‘Hatcem’(anaffectionatetermmeaning‘myHatice').Sheisreclaimingherfemalepredecessorswhilealsolettingthemgo,inadialecticbetweenengagementandestrangementthatrecursthroughouttheartist’spractice. ThefourepisodesofStrangeraddressmomentsofsocialexclusion,howeachaffectstheself-imageoftheexcludedandthewaythatthisdistortedperceptionoftheselfcontributes,inturn,toadeepeningsenseofnotbelonging.Thefirstamongthem,‘PersonofCloth’,depictsawomanonatrainwearingablue-and-redfloralprintthatcoversherfaceandbody,toppedbyablackheadscarf.Sittingwithherlegscrossed,shelooksmorelikeapaintedRussiandollthanaperson:abeautifulculturalartefactthatisoutofplace,thebrightpatternovershadowingherpersonality.Somestarebutmostignoreher,and,astheloudspeakerannouncesthenextstopsinGerman,sheremainsunperturbed,occasionallyshiftingandlookingaround.Inthesecondepisode,‘Mirror’,awomanwearingaheadscarfpaintsonherimageinthemirror,depictingherselfasablond,

1 Jacques Rancière, Aisthesis: Scenes from the Aesthetic Regime of Art (trans. Zakir Paul), Verso: London, 2013, p.7.

Cloth People from Outer Space: Nilbar Güres’s Dialectics of Identity— Lara Fresko

Looking at the use of fabric, concealment and memory in Nilbar Güres’s work, Lara Fresko outlines the artist's response to a globalised framework of identity.

Nilbar Güres, Uzaylı Kumas insanlar (Cloth People from Outer Space), 2005, ink on hand-made paper, 30 pieces, 5 × 5cm each. Photograph: Nicole Tintera. All images courtesy the artist; Rampa, Istanbul; and Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna

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blue-eyedandpink-lippedwoman.Later,wearingthemaskofascruffy-bearded,dark-skinnedman,shepaintsinthemirrorablond,blue-eyedandpink-lippedman.(ThesceneenactswhatFrantzFanonimaginedwhenhetitledhisbookBlackSkin,WhiteMasks(1952),referringtothetensionthatarisesbetweencolonialsubjects’contemptforotherness,eventheirown.2)‘Turk-Head’,thethirdpartofStranger,derivesitsnamefromtheGermanwordTurkenkopf,usedtoderisivelyrefertolargeheads.Here,awomanwhoseheadiscoveredinsomanylayersthatevenhereyesareconcealedemergesfromanundergroundtrainstationontothecrowdedsidewalk.Astheviewerwatchesinsuspenseforhertorunintosomeoneorsomethingonstreetsteemingwithshoppers,afemalepasser-bycomments,‘Canthisevensee?’Amanexclaims,‘Oh,baby!Lookatthis.’Theseburstsofridiculecome,surprisingly,notinGermanbutinTurkish.Thelastofthefourepisodes,‘Stairs’,showsawomangoingdownanescalatorwithaneggonaspooninhermouth.Hergestureisare-enactment

ofachildren’sgame—theegg-and-spoonrace—requiringconcentrationandbalance:itsperformanceherepubliclybyanadultunderlinesthedisciplining,exteriorandinterior,ofthewoman’sbodyasshenavigatesthecityscape.Atensionbetweenmarginalisationandtheaffirma-tionofidentitypervadesStranger,asthefemalebody’sresolveinperformingitsgesturesmarksbothasenseofindifferencetowhatisgoingonaroundherandaself-awarenessofbeingother. Insubsequentworks,theartisttendsincreasinglytowardsanideaoflocalitythatsheeloquentlyacknowledgestobeasimaginaryasitisreal.AsinUndressing,shereclaimshersupposedrootsbyvisitingspectresofherfamilialpast:hermother’shometownofTrabzon,atownontheBlackSeacoastinthenortheastofTurkey,aregionknownforitsconservativeandnationalisticvalues(TrabZONE,2010);heraunt’shomeinaneighbourhoodinnorthernIstanbulthathaslargelybeentorndownfortheconstructionofathirdbridgeovertheBosphorus(Çırçır,2010);andherfather’schildhoodvillageofBingöl

2 Frantz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks (1952; trans. Richard Philcox), New York: Grove Press, 2007.




ineasternTurkey(AçıkTelefonKulübesi(OpenPhoneBooth),2011).Actingasananthropologistofsortsintheseprojects,Güresinsertsherselfwithinbothfamiliarandforeigncontextstoanalysethesocialbehaviourstherein. TheseworksrevealtherootsofGüres’sownheightenedawarenessofotherness,lookingattheagonismsthatresonatethroughoutherhomecountryandwithinherownimmediatefamily.Ininterviewswithcuratorsandthemedia,theartistembraceshermulticulturalupbringing:theinfluencesofherGreekcaretaker,herfather’sAleviKurdishbackgroundandhermother’srootsintheBlackSearegion.Abouthermiddle-classlifegrowingupinIstanbul,3sheevokesnotsomuchanostalgiafortheoldendaysofthevastlymulticulturalcity,butadesiretoexcavateitstensions,toportraythestoryofitsnearextinctionandthetransformationsofitssurvivingbuds. ThephotographsthatcomprisetheseriesTrabZONE,forexample,depictre-enactmentsofGüres’schildhoodmemories.Thoughthisworkcaneasily

bereadasacontinuationoftheartist’sfascinationwithfemalesocialisation,whichshefirstaddressedinBilinmeyenSporlar(UnknownSports,2009),thecentraltenetofrememberingtransformsthisworkintoanexerciseinthepoliticsofvisibility.InArıcıTrabZONEserisinden(BeekeeperfromtheseriesTrabZONE)acentralimageofafemalebeekeeperwearingloosegarmentsandtendingbeesissurroundedbythreeimagesdepictingherclothesdispersedonthebushesaroundthehives.Theuncanninnesscausedbytheambiguityofthefemalefigure,surroundedbytheevidenceleftbehindafterherdisappearance,recallstherepresentationofadreamor,alternatively,acrimescene.InotherimageswithinTrabZONE,suchasBizimMezarlık(OurCemetery),Ibadet(Worship)andYolAyrımı(Junction),Güresemploysherprimarymaterial—fabric—torecallthesubjectsofherchildhoodbydepictingwomenunderclothesratherthaninthem.Fabricnotonlycoverswomen,italsobindstheirbodiestogether,asifintoone.Consideringthattheseare,infact,Güres’smemories,they

3 See Dinçer Sirin, ‘Yatak Odasında Müsabaka’, Sanat Dünyamız, no.136, September—October 2013.

Above and left: Nilbar Güres, Yabancı (Stranger), 2006, video, 12min, made up of 4 episodes, stills from the episodes ‘Person of Cloth’ (left) and ‘Stairs’ (above)

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Artists: Nilbar Güres | 91¸



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revealherchildhoodimmersioninthisfemininemilieu;buttheyarealsohercriticalappropriationoftheinvisibilityofthefacesofthesewomen. FeministscholarNilMutluerhaswrittenoftheartist’suseoffabrics,‘TheplaceofobjectsinourlivesisrevealedwhenGüresinjectsobjectswithlifetoexposethetransparencyoftheeveryday.’4WhenIaskedGüresaboutherrelationshiptofabric,anelementsheusesinallofherprojects,sherepliedthatshelikestoworkwith‘warmmaterials’:organicmaterialslikesoilandfabricthattouchpeople,insteadofmetalandstone.5Shetypicallychoosesbrightlycolouredfloralprints,evocativeofacertaineraandmilieu—thoughGüres’suseofsuchmarkersisn’tnecessarilywistful.Rather,sheusesthemtoposeadialecticbetweenasenseofbelongingandidentity,ontheonehand,andofbeingoutofplaceandtime,ontheother. WhatbroughtGürestothelocationofÇırçırwascruciallytheconstructionofthethirdbridgecrossingtheBosphorusfromBüyükdere,aprojectthatisnotonlydetrimentaltothenorthernforests

ofIstanbul,andthereforethecleanairandwatersourcesofthecity,butalsotothesurroundingneighbourhoodsandthesocialbondstheycontain.Güres’sphotographsoncemorecapturethefemininesocialsphere,butthistimethebackdropismoreexpressiveofthehabitatthatisabouttobeuprooted:old,decrepit,dugupandunderconstruction.Gürescapturesthewomenthereinoddscenariosthataremostlystaged—enactingalesbianlovesceneatopthedebris,orgatheredoutdoorsatnight,diggingupgravesandsingingincelebration.Whilethesephotographsaresuggestiveofasomewhatemancipatedsociality,theyarejuxtaposedwithmomentsinwhichthewomenareonceagainburiedunderfabrics.InBirAilePortresi—GizliKadınlar(AFamilyPortrait—HiddenWomen),forexample,agroupofwomenofdifferentgenerations,backgroundsandprofessionsstandsidebysideonastreetcorner.Uponcloseexamination,werealisethatthereareotherpeoplebehindthem,whoholdanextrasetofgarmentsoverthewomen’sclothing:itemssuchasapairofjeans,ashortskirt,baggytrousersorthehat

Nilbar Güres, Bir Aile Portresi — Gizli Kadınlar Çırçır serisinden (A Family Portrait — Hidden Women from the series Çırçır), 2010, chromogenic colour print, 120 × 180cm Previous spread: Nilbar Güres, Haydar ve Arkadasları Açık Telefon Kulübesi serisinden (Haydar and His Friends from the series Open Phone Booth), 2011, chromogenic colour print, 108 × 150cm

4 Nil Mutluer, ‘The Trans Resistance’, in Cay Sophie Rabinowitz (ed.), Nilbar Güres: Who Is the Subject?, Istanbul: Osmos Books, 2013, p.7.5 Conversation with the artist, 21 February 2014.

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thatyoungboysaremadetowearattheircircumcisionceremony,allpositionedoverthewomen’sdressesandlongskirtsandcoats.Inasimilarvein,OturmaOdası(TheLivingRoom)depictswomeninalivingroomcoveredbythekindofsheetsthatshroudcouches,makingthewomenthemselvesintofurniture-likefixtures. Güres’sseriesOpenPhoneBoothrepresentsaturningpointinherpractice,markingamovefromfictiontoamorestraightforwarddocumentaryformat.However,thesurrealismofherpreviousseriesisstillverymuchpresent,perhapsbecausewhatisdocumentedinOpenPhoneBooth isquitestrangeinitsownright.Theseriescomprisescollages,photographsandathree-channelvideoinstallationsetinGüres’sfather’shome-townofBingöl,whereresidentsmustclimbupthesurroundinghillsinordertogetmobile-phonereception.PredominantlyKurdish,thispartofcentraleasternAnatoliawastornapartbytheprotractedwar,beginningin1984,betweenarmedforcesoftheTurkishgovernmentandguerrillasalignedwiththeKurdistanWorkers’Party(PKK).Thatconflictbroughtwavesofeconomicandpoliticalemigrationduetostateforcesevacuatingorburningvillages,andtheseeminglycountlessstatesofexception.TheKurdishcitizensofBingöl,mostofwhombelongtotheAlevibranchofIslam,havelongbeendoublydisenfranchisedduetotheirreligiousbeliefsandethnicity.WhereasthepillagedlandandthetunnelsofBüyükdereinÇırçırarerepresentativeofthecolossalpresenceandpowerofthestate,thevastexpansesofBingölgiveasenseofplaciditydespite—orperhapsevendueto—deprivationandthelackofpublicservicesintheregion. OpenPhoneBoothexploreshowthistensionbecomesvisibleintheportrayaloftechnologicalfrustrationanditsroutines.Witharelativelystaticcameraangleandsubtleediting,thethreechannelsofthevideoinstallationshowthecountryside,populatedeverysooftenbyafigureandhisorherphone,thatsurroundsthevillage,whichisneverseeninitsownright.Throughtheconversations,wehearoffamilieswhohavebeenscatteredthrough-outthecountry:whilesometrytotendandliveoffwhatlandtheyhaveleft,others—usuallytheyoungermalepopulation—

gotolargecitiestofindwork,orjointheguerrillaforcesinthemountains.Astheseasonsgoby,differentcharactersclimbupthehillstomakecalls,throughwinterstormsandspringwinds.Onewoman,unlikemostoftheothers,however,goesupnottouseherphonebuttovisitayatır,anAlevigrave—agesturewhich,accordingtotheartist,6harboursshamanicovertonesofspeakingwithanotherworld.Heract,moreover,putsintoperspectivethedistancethatmobile-phonecommunicationinthosehillsimplies. Lonelinesspervadesthephotographicworks,insolitaryfiguresthatstandtalkingonthephonewithinaboundlesslandscape.Thissenseofsolitudeismostpowerfullydepictedinthetwofabriccollagesthataccompanytheseries.Theirsparseness,withrelativelysmallandcolourfulimagesonpitch-blackbackgrounds,reflecttheartist’srefinedtakeonhersubjectmatter,pittingmoderntelecommunicationtechnologyagainstthetraditionalcraftsymbolisedbytheuseoffabric.

Thereisnoembellishmentineither—justadisconnectedphonereceivertrappedwithinafabricpattern,withachordreachingoutintotheblackness,orasinglefigureholdingatelephoneinthedarkaccompaniedonlybyadistant,darksatellite.These,thesimplestofhercollageworks,standasprecursorsnotonlytotheOpenPhoneBoothseriestheybelongtobutalsotohermostrecentworks,thecollagesSiyahSerisi(TheBlackSeries,2011—ongoing)thatdealwithspiritual,sexualandurbanaspectsofcommunication. Theyarealsoreminiscentofanearlyseriesofdrawings,UzaylıKumasInsanlar(ClothPeoplefromOuterSpace,2005),whichGüreslaidoutasathirty-piecestoryboardbeforemakingUndressingandStranger,asafirst

6 Ibid.

A tension between the affirmation of identity and marginalisation pervades Stranger: the women’s performative gestures markboth a sense of indifference to what is going on around them and a self-awareness of their being other.

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incarnationoftheideasbehindthosetwovideoworks.Inthisseriesofblack-ink-on-paperdrawings,wefollowacarwithtwofemalepassengerswhichturnsintoaspaceship.Thespaceshipthenzoomsoutofthisworldandlandsinanother,wherethetwowomenbecomeonewiththehills,asthelandscapeblossomsintothefloralprintoftheirheadscarves.Inthefinalscene,thetwowomenreturntotheirquotidianexistence,sittinginametrotrain. AswithClothPeoplefromOuterSpace,collagesanddrawingsoftenfunctionasblueprintsfortheartist’s

projects,grantingusprivileged,ifelusive,accesstohervisuallanguage,wherethefactualrealitiesofspecificplacesandpeopleoftenintertwinewithfictionalnarratives,attimesbringingthedocumen-tarygazetotheuniverseofsciencefictionasameansofrepresentingotherness.Suchrepresentationsofalienationcomewiththeircounterpartofemancipation—throughimagination,mobilityandtransformation. Güres'sworksarenotsomuchimpenetrableastheyareintricateandindirect.NoworkbyGüresrevealsitselfinthefirstinstance;indeed,shemines

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apalpablesenseoftime’spassing.Theslow-pacedvideoworksoftengivetheimpressionofstilllifesorlandscapepaintings,turningevenslightmovementsintoexcitingandprofoundgestures.Thegrandscaleofherphotographs,inturn,obscurestheimages’minutedetailswithincomplexyetvernacularbackgrounds.Onceagain,firstappearancesproveuntrustworthyentrypointstomeaning.

Nilbar Güres, Açık Telefon Kulübesi (Open Phone Booth), 2011, mixed media on fabric,79 × 78cm each (framed)

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Cloth People from Outer Space: Nilbar Güres’s Dialectics of Identity

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