Nurtane Karagil’s participation in Planites Exhibition

The case study deals with a specific case of censorship of the artwork "The Dawn and the Sunset Issue" (2017) by Nurtane Karagil, but overall comments on living and working as an artist in precarious conditions, that render artists fragile. The situation of precariousness in the case of Nurtane, relates to her civic identity as a Turkish-speaking Cypriot, part of the ‘minority’ population of Cyprus that lives in the north part of the island, which is the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, an unrecognized state. Working across the divide presupposes crossing checkpoints and entering the ‘other’ community, where prejudices and stereotypes are high.

Artist

Nurtane Karagil

Curator

Elena Parpa

Expanded Summary:

In January 2017, in the context of the European Capital of Culture PAFOS 2017, Elena Parpa curated Planites, an exhibition which was one of the inaugural events of the series of events in Pafos. The participation of Nurtane Karagil with the artwork «The Dawn and the Sunset Issue», as series of memory map sketches, stirred controversy in the press, both print and TV/radio, due to its perceived insulting of the image of Makarios III, the first president of the Republic of Cyprus, an iconic figure in the Greek-speaking community in Cyprus. The Historical Cultural Center ‘Makarios’ and other associations protested publicly of the content of the artwork and asked that the work is removed. The issue was discussed within the Cultural Capital’s board, and although they refused to remove it, they did not come out publicly in support of the artist, as did the curator, who was vocal in her support of the artist and artistic freedom. A security guard was arranged, to guard the artwork, and the exhibition was completed without any incidents.

As an individual artist, Nurtane has exhibited her work throughout Cyprus and internationally, but she speaks of the precariousness of the condition, whereby e.g. crossing borders during the pandemic, understanding and accessing funding from EU projects, something that artists from the south of the island (the Republic of Cyprus) can easily do, and others. All these have been sources of anxiety in her early career, and they have informed her artwork, as she creates memory maps and fantastical children-like paintings, an escape from reality. The artist also acknowledges how she easily becomes easy clickbait for conservative and right wing journalists and groups, but also mainstream, media, a concerning element of her life as an artist, and therefore vulnerability informs her life in general.

The Unexpected:

The local community of artists and arts theorists reflected on this occasion of censorship, unfolding the various ways that hegemonic structures and ideas attacked the artist, and this resulted in the creation of a circle of solidarity around her across the Cyprus divide. However, limited awareness of the topic was generated abroad, despite the fact that the exhibition was international and part of a prestigious European institution (European Cultural Capital).

...To make a meaningful difference and walk the talk of truly empowering young people once creativity opens doorways it's critical that the support doesn’t stop when the creative engagement ends but CARE remains steady and consistent for the whole person.

— Wendy Preston
OUTCOME:

Two performances and texts.

QUESTIONS:

What happens in communities and artists, when the snowball effect of public shaming and calls for censorship, results in the refusal support from authorities or government? How are micro-solidarity mechanisms created within the groups of artists or scholars that see society critically overall? What mechanisms are generated within communities when Care is refused by ‘authorities’ through deafening silences or indifference to the shaming and hate speech that can take place in the media, as happened in this case?

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What kinds of defense mechanisms can micro-communities develop, to generate and offer care to artists in precarious positions, where institutions that invite them to present their work, do not support their work.?

CONSIDERATION:

The fragile situation of artists when dealing with controversial issues on the one hand, while balancing the disadvantageous conditions that already exist when one comes from communities or groups that are vulnerable already.

AFFIRMATION:

Affirmation of past Learnings: some artists are more vulnerable than others. As exhibitions and artists meetings continue to be international and inter-connected, under what are perceived to be prestigious umbrellas (such as a European Cultural Capital), acts of care and policies/practices of care for artists must be present. As we become more interconnected, also mechanisms of solidarity need to be similarly interconnected. These need to filter out any ‘savior’ mechanisms, but focus on care for artists, from aggression, hate speech, systemic violence, any threat and vulnerable conditions.

RESOURCES

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