The series „rural shades“ deals with everyday practices of rural life in eastern anatolia. a projection is created with digital and analogue documentation of the symbiosis of nature and man in rural areas. the central subject matter is the historical developments since the beginning of the 20th century. the relationship between the different religious and ethnic minorities and their assimilation are particularly relevant here. my mother's village in the provincial town of erzincan in the district of çayırlı (formerly piriz) is the starting point of the series and is intended to create an arc between today and the traces of armenian life in the region.

Yenge 2021

The Euphrates flows through the mountain massif of the „Dark Canyon“. During the Armenian Genocide in 1915, about 25,000 Armenians were massacred there.

Karanlık Kanyon 2021

The series „rural shades“ documents the symbiosis of nature and humananity around Eastern Anatolia. The central subject matter is the relationships of the different religious and ethnic minorities, such as Alevis, Kurds and Armenians. The Armenian genocide, also known as Aghet (Աղետ „catastrophe“), not only occupies the minds of many historians worldwide, but in Turkey this event is still relativised and denied by the highest state institutions. The Eastern Anatolia Region region in particular plays a very central role in the persecution and expulsion of Armenians.

Abrenk Vank Monastery of Saint David of Abrank 2023

Many of the religious and institutional buildings of Armenians have fallen into disrepair or have been replaced by schools and mosques. The assimilation of other minorities such as Kurds and Alevis is still an integral part of Turkish state doctrine. In Piriz, (Çayırlı) my mother's village, people from the Black Sea region were settled in the first half of the 20th century and now make up the majority of the village community.

Piriz (Replaced Armenian Church in Çayırlı) 2021

A military operation in the Hozat district of Dêrsim (Tunceli) in the eastern Anatolian region caused a forest fire in August 2021, which continued for 13 days without being extinguished.

According to locals, the area was bombed three times by a drone on August 16th 2021. The lack of state intervention in the fire has given rise to public outrage. Residents of Dêrsim have been calling for support for nearly two weeks. A group of people, including the mayor of Dêrsim Fatih Maçoğlu, were prevented from entering the site by police barricades. Finally after the public outcry, the Governorate of the district transferred two water-extinguishing helicopters on 29th of August.

Teslim A. was one of the victims who was affected by the forest fires in the Eastern Anatolian region of Dêrsim this summer. I met him, when I got lost in the forest area near of Hozat. He told me, that some of his trees catched fire and he couldn‘t stop it. The first firefighting planes where sent from the governement on the 12th day, of the fire, meanwhile village people where denied to help. Teslim A. told me before I left:

“direniyorum ve bırakmıyorum”,

which means:

“i’m resisting and not letting go”.

adiro verde 2021

Dêrsim has been a zone of conflict for centuries, because of its semi-autonomous position and Alevi identity under the Sunni-dominated Ottoman Empire and its Kurdish, Kirmanc and/or Zaza identity. Consequently, there have been numerous military operations in the region, conducted by the Ottoman and Turkish armies, leading to thousands of civilian deaths, forced displacement, as well as the destruction (mainly via burning) of forests, agricultural fields and villages.

The installation adiro verde is based on infrared pictures taken from the area, which are mapped into 3D-Models. Ultra sonic membranes are positioned underneath, which produce fog when interacting with water. adiro verde is intended to create an arc between historic and current opression of minorities in Turkey.