Fairytales Interrupted  .  Masks and Action Heroes  .  Conspiracy Theories  . Snow Globes and Candy Box . Souvenir Dolls, NY

 I started using toys in my work when I noticed the incredible prevalence of violence and military weapons displayed so fancifully on toy store shelves.  I found myself attracted to them not only for the shortcuts they offered in deconstructing society, but to create my own language as well.  Toys in general are powerful symbols which can connect to all areas of our adult lives.  In the Conspiracy Theory images I like to think they might even touch on grand scientific theories of Chaos and Complexity.  But still, perhaps the most striking thing about many of these objects is their political aura, and that, I am believing more and more, is not that much of an accident on the part of the manufacturers.  The arms trade starts young.  For my rant on the military-toy-industrial complex, and a bit more of an overview on the issues surrounding this work, please do visit the Bosphorus Art Project and their special edition on toys.


F a i r y t a l e s   I n t e r r u p t e d

Early photomontage and collage experiments in and out of the darkroom eventually led to the computer and the Fairytales Interrupted exhibit, which opened in March of 2001.  These first digital collages were blunt, interrupting the traditional female with straightforward geometrics and fracture lines, calling for something new to step forward.  For the most part the show questioned the feminine archetype in the context of the violence and militarism woven into the fabric of daily life.  Boys camouflage pajamas from Kmart hung on the wall.  And opposites were played with, ie. new and old, East and West, using many references to the Middle East and my parents' Turkish background.  It was wonderful to work with curator/theater director, Zishan Ugurlu, who encouraged the multimedia aspect of the presentation, with explorations in animation and an incredible musical score by my brother Joe Mardin.  Please click here for a brief sample.


M a s k s   a n d   A c t i o n   H e r o e s

By 2003 world events and the postures of our leaders led to the idea that masks would be the perfect extension of the toy metaphor in illustrating adult struggles, and led to Masks and Action Heroes.   The masks were not used to comment on actual people so much as the nature of the media and public personas, the mystery that lies behind power, as well as the increasing hollowness of some of our political symbols.  The use of action heroes also raised the question of whether the strengths of a great nation had been reduced to those of diminutive comic book figures. 


C o n s p i r a c y   T h e o r i e s

Of course all this concern with the secrecy of the government and media theatrics leads one into the dreaded territory of Conspiracy Theories.  As we struggle to sort through all the information, misinformation, and disinformation, it seems inevitable that we make a few winding turns.  But at least those on the winding turns are trying to scratch the official fairytale version of things. 

The images in this series do not illustrate any specific conspiracy theories per se, but are more a commentary on the onslaught of information and mis-information, as well as just the typical hectic pace of modern life.  Consisting of playful jumbles of toys and other miniatures the images might appear to poke fun at the conspiracy theorist.  In a way, they are meant to.  One can't help being a little self-deprecating when one is feeling so overwhelmed.  But the ultimate hope is to encourage crazy connections between disparate objects and issues, so as to give rise to creative thinking and solutions to the seemingly insurmountable problems that we face--in effect, to be conspiracy-minded. 

The jumbles eventually deteriorate into basic piles, out of which evolve re-structured creatures and scenes of more sloppy collage and decollage.  They are a kind of meditation on what we are told in so many cultures is an inevitable cycle of life and death, of utter destruction then reconstruction, a sacred, yet perhaps a hollow philosophy, which over time fractures and weakens our sense of being to an unsustainable extent.   


S n o w  G l o b e s   a n d   C a n d y   B o x

This is a new series I am working on where I have been cutting, filing down or drilling toy soldiers and then placing them in gentle settings such a snow jar or capsule.  It is my way of trying to get at the pain and trauma at the heart of the military industrial complex, and asking the simple question, How will we ever heal?  It is a pain that is verging on the cartoon, as it is so deeply hidden from most of our day to day lives.  The ambiguous play of the hand with the objects hints at the use of sex to sell the image of the glamorized warrior, at the same time as it tries to redefine male/female relationships.  Lurking in the shadows, seems to be a more authentic sense of romance and love.  The work consists of prints, the actual objects, as well as a series of animations, which are in progress.  Please click here for a preview.

S o u v e n i r  D o l l s , N Y 

This newer series features souvenir dolls from all over the world in out of the way locations of New York City.  On the most immediate level they celebrate the differences between us, traditions that may eventually be lost, as well as the great eclecticism of the city.  Anyone who has ever felt like an alien inside one's skin might identify with their call to slow down.  As the series progresses, more uneasy questions emerge, surrounding migration, gentrification, industrialization, and what it is that we consider progress.

All images are digitally printed with archival inks on archival paper.  The Conspiracy Theories are envisioned as large format,  some as murals, in order to contrast with the life size scale of the toys and miniatures.

 

Please do visit again soon for updates and to view new series in progress.