For the average person, there is a meaning in life and that is mainly to graduate from a well-known school and to finally wear a suit and tie, holding their briefcase on their way to the office everyday. I saw the ambition for this profile throughout my academic career. Everyone seemingly had one goal in life, and it was this. What I wonder is that if these people will ever fall into the trap of meaninglessness, or are sanity-controller systems like social media not allowing them to fall into any kind of trap like this concept which would provide digital happiness and a utopia?

Mostly whoever told me about the meaninglessness of the world, they were primarily bothered by it and it was a form of depression. These people just could not understand the beauty of it. If I was also one, that would probably lead to a tragic end for me as well (laughs). It is really interesting how the same kind of world-view has had different effects on human beings. Thinking about it, perhaps the part that led me to acknowledge the beauty of the absurd was a passion for creation. As I created, I could therefore reflect. ”If the world were clear, art would not exist”² therefore I could just draw or paint or puke a meaningless world and make my own meaningless approach on it as everything in nature, history and life is nothing more than a cycle of loops. But, the one that had the dreams of becoming a corporate man, sadly finds himself in the depths of the hole once the absurd rings his bell. As this person never had the chance to create, to fantasise and to live in their own parallel universe, they never could find the time to even meet with the absurd, not even to talk of tricking them..

“…the gap between the wealth of visual experience in contemporary culture and the ability to analyse that observation marks both the opportunity and the need for visual culture as a field of study.” ³ ‘NÜOQŞ TKÖWÜÖ’⁴, a man with crazy dreams and fantasies almost bordering on fetishism, transformed into a bodily living corporate. A part of the corrupt governmental system, ‘NÜOQŞ’ finds his way by “dancing” with this absurdity—he loves his suit and tie and his working environment, from the offices to the parliament. He never falls into the trap because quite systematically, with the power derived from his job, he can build his dream-like world. ‘NÜOQŞ’ thus becomes the leader of absurd himself because he knows how to trick it— perhaps this stems from ignorance and the dizzy haze that power brings with it. While the whole of society hates on his moves and activities, I am quite fascinated by them and find myself questioning their effects and necessity. A corrupt government can only be represented by their brave individuals. He is a great mirror, a great example of the era we are living in terms of reflecting the ideology espoused by the government: to conquer! To conquer people’s minds (propaganda, brainwashing), their eyes (sculptures and any kind of public appearance) their houses (minority groups, and TOKI urban transformation projects), their money (undefinable taxes), their belongings, and their loved ones (jails). With the current government, this ideology of conquering finds a new way of bodily living it is not perfectly sculpted one-to-one black stone monuments of questionable or unquestionable people itis a whole new level that is unlocked. This level carries out more responsibilities as it ignores any kind of pre-existing constructions and rules. ‘NÜOQŞ’ was aware we needed something new, and corresponding to my childhood feelings, he knew he had childhood dreams and fantasies and what else to do in this meaningless world than spending the national treasure on huge sculptures/theme parks? ➙A☎

Images: Sculpture from a production company (1), My childhood photos side-by-side with (2,3,4) ‘NÜOQŞ’ ²: Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus, and Other Essays. A.A. Knopf, 1964. ³: Mirzoeff, N. (1998). What Is Visual Culture? In N. Mirzoeff (Ed.), The Visual Culture Reader. essay, Routledge. ⁴: Former mayor of Ankara ⁵: Mirzoeff, N. (1998). What Is Visual Culture? In N. Mirzoeff (Ed.), The Visual Culture Reader. essay, Routledge.

“All cities are geological. You can't take three steps without encountering ghosts bearing all the prestige of their legends. We move within a closed landscape whose landmarks constantly draw us toward the past.”⁶

We are surrounded by these ghosts, and the only way out seems to be exchanging them for new ghosts that correspond to new ideologies. The signs and sculptures at the city’s entrances and roundabouts appear outdated, monotonous and formal—way too formal and that a funky governmental system had enough of. We are bored walking in the city, our receptors looking for fresh, new signals of excitement: the billboards are dominated with commercialised aesthetics as well as life-shortening slogans. The monuments that are repeatedly reproducing the cadavers of the same small group of ‘national heroes’ cause a sense of déjà vu as they appear in the same dark grey color covered in pigeon guano most of the time. They materialise in almost every district, rising on top of marble plinths that are partly covered in algae.➙B☎

“This city could be envisaged in the form of an arbitrary assemblage of castles, grottos, lakes, etc… It would be the baroque stage of urbanism considered as a means of knowledge. But this theoretical phase is already outdated. …We know that a modern building could be constructed which would have no resemblance to a medieval castle but which could preserve and enhance the Castle poetic power (by the conservation of a strict minimum of lines, the transposition of certain others, the positioning of openings, the topographical location, etc.).”⁹ As Chtcheglov argues, their explicit resemblance to majestic elements is no longer necessary they can clearly find new alternative bodies that would communicate the same intentions. Instead of heroic war figures, why not communicate the same intentions by pursuing a new set of characters? Or instead of another palace, would a new theme park not be more attractive? Turkey, in terms of urban planning has opened up its arms widely and has welcomed any kind of unexpected surprise. This distorted urbanisation has created a safe space for randomness and demonstrates a high degree of contrast when compared to how European cities are managed. The term political talisman simply stems from the fact that I believe these are magical belongings for politicians. In a less-rational understanding of the world around us, talismans are thought to have special powers which in this case translate into political power. It offers luck and visibility, but also who needs luck and visibility if you already have an established system based on corruption? A system that guarantees a win-win for all the sides involved, while rejecting the potential power that may come from the hierarchy's very foundation?

CASTLE UP IN THE HILL

I find quite relevant to today’s situation how the medieval manuscripts portrayed the hierarchical pyramid of the feudal system. Instead of placing information in rational systems which are usually not able to communicate the essence of the topic, they painted the hierarchical system using the real-life perspective as the medium. The added factors of distance and environment do not assume anything as the pyramidal graph does: there is a castle/palace somewhere far from the point of view, mostly up a hill. Behind the first row of high solid walls, we might expect there to be a remarkable amount of security, and what is happening behind those walls is a complete mystery that the first levels of the pyramid can never learn. This obvious lack of transparency leads to corrupt behaviour.

PALACE UP IN THE HILL

Talking about the castle up the hill, the government currently operates across 12 palaces, continuously switching between them. In 2014, they unveiled their newest masterpiece: the Presidential Compound in Ankara. Surprisingly enough this ‘1150’-roomed residency (according to the media) is located on the former Ataturk Forest Farm, part of the same territory that was destroyed in order to build the ‘ZMÖZJZİÖ’. While these two mega-projects re-purpose cultural heritage for arbitrary usage, they also share common aesthetics: the so-called ‘Seljuk architecture’.¹⁰ This obsession stems from a desire to re-dominate a land that is associated with secular Turkey with the re-enforcement of nostalgic motifs and style. While the architect of the Presidential Compound, ‘VLSZM ŞZHLO’ argues that this kind of ideology can be associated with oppressive governments, ‘GÜAXZM ÖZİZÖFĞ XZMVZM’ (Ankara chair of the Architects’ Chamber) announced that the palace is the current holder of a world record with its infamous 2250 rooms. ¹¹ As a counter-statement the president repeats his motto: “Itibardan tasarruf olmaz” which translates into: “No austerity in reputation.” Here two main intentions are clearly stated. Firstly, that there will not be any kind of budget-sorting for their projects. Secondly, that most of the things they do is for their own reputation.

⁶Chtcheglov, I. (1953). Formulary for a new urbanism. Bureau Of Public Secrets. Retrieved December 14, 2022, from http://www.bopsecrets.org/SI/Chtcheglov.htm ⁷Milliyet.com.tr. (2019, October 24). İstanbul'da tepki çeken görüntü! Milliyet. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.milliyet.com.tr/galeri/istanbulda-tepki-ceken-goruntu-6064180 ⁸İlk Atatürk Heykelini çeviren metal Paravanlar Kaldırıldı.(2018, August 19). Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/ilk-ataturk-heykelini-ceviren-metal-paravanlar-kaldirildi-1060038 ⁹Chtcheglov, I. (1953). Formulary for a new urbanism. Bureau Of Public Secrets. Retrieved December 14, 2022, from http://www.bopsecrets.org/SI/Chtcheglov.htm ¹⁰Hasol, D. (2014, September 25). Ankara'da Selçuklu Başkanlık Sarayı(!). Retrieved March 3, 2022, from http://www.doganhasol.net/ankarada-selcuklu-baskanlik-sarayi.html ¹¹Ak Saray, 2250 oda ile dünya şampiyonu. (2015, April 12). Retrieved January 18, 2022, from https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/ak-saray-2250-oda-ile-dunya-sampiyonu-252697

“Everyone wavers between the emotionally still-alive past and the already-dead future. We don't intend to prolong the mechanistic civilizations and frigid architecture that ultimately lead to boring leisure. We propose to invent new, changeable decors.”¹²

These sculptures are far from straight-up branding a city: they carry absurd values, with their appearance depending on the time, place and situation they materialise in. They embrace the ‘still-alive past’ and ‘already-dead future’ that Chtcheglov mentions above. The core of the sculpture is evident for any social change that is occurring. In our case it can be simplified as corruption—because of corruption, their aesthetics and shape change. Moreover, the reason governments commission companies rather than artists derives from the essence of discarding artists’ points of view, political appearance and critical thinking. Companies are perfect sculpture-creating mechanisms for them, as the most important thing is money. As ‘ŞZOQO ÖÜÖOQÖLSOF’¹³ states in his interview with a local news channel: “I am neither an architect nor a sculptor. My job is commerce.” After a little dialogue he continues with: “We are a commercial company and correspond to any kind of budget. We do not seek to create products with high artistic value.” This way of approaching an issue appears to open up possibilities for various contracts that may be subject to laundering money, where both sides reap profits at the end of the day without any artistic concern. The aesthetics evolve around this. ➙C☎

The sculptures, due to their high number, are better categorised according to their most significant features. These characteristics can vary from their form to their association, size, backstory or technicalities.

The rich and holy content that pomegranate is not able to preserve only by itself is being guarded by few dolphins. Same gesture can be seen in Bursa, where the local football club’s mascots are forming a chamber of prayer.

What if we kissed under romantic storks? Will you be able to acknowledge the heart in negative-space? Therefore the existence of artificial love? Feel blessed?

As the talismans encompass broad diversity, some part of it focuses on traditional heritage and brings the myths and epics back to life, thereby confirming their reality. The epic story of Boğaç Han is a narrative based on a very powerful bull that could vaporize a stone with a single hit of its horns. One day, the sultan took the bull out of the palace, into public space. This created instant fear in the town square, yet unlike the rest of the kids, Boğaç Han was the only one who faced the bull and punched it in the face, hit after hit. This valiant character marked his name on the history with his remarkable moves.

Şehzade is the role given to the sons of the sultan was in the Ottoman Empire. Although it is a highly important position in society—simply because of the fact that a Şehzade is a potential future Sultan—the sculpted version depicts a strange and humorous synthesis. Amasya, known as the “City of Şehzade’s,” displays a modern Şehzade taking a selfie with his right hand (while holding his sword with his left). By doing so, the government takes the historic figure for a “travel in time” for contemporary audiences to relate to, and even interact with it.

Sadly, over time the Sehzade’s smartphone has become damaged,¹⁷ thus becoming another great example of the consequences of altering cultural context.

Another common core of variations is the “Anatolian figure.” This personality appears in traditional clothing while sometimes playing “bağlama”¹⁸ next to a highway, and performing a traditional dance together with their enormous friends in other cases.

Some of these sculptures also function as time capsules, considering the relation between the imagery and its geopolitical location. In Gaziantep, a group of camels are placed along a part of the historical Silk Road, visualising how this route appeared centuries ago. The road carries an important role of connecting the East to our lands, therefore it needs to be highlighted.

As the vulgar society and media continues to constantly trivialise this topic, it can never be analysed or trigger the need to delve deeper into its roots. As well, the moment analysis starts, it can be enlightening to find the trivialisation is actually inverted, and we, the society, are being judged by the existence of these sculptures. Looking at this image, we can clearly see that there is an intention to scale up our surroundings even further, to slowly transform our miniature lives into even minor, almost microscopic ones. This way of approaching urban planning appears to be a pattern in Middle Eastern countries: the race to the top. In this case, planting real flowers would not catch any attention and therefore would not spawn the idea that the "government is working." So, the decision is made to scale it up and create their own mini-habitat, revealing the impact of governmental-power and its disdaining function.

“The sublime is something that threatens to overwhelm you and causes fear, but for the spectator the threat is at a level that can be tolerated. It is about the capacity to experience being fearful, but not absolutely overwhelmed, of still being able to tolerate and contain fear.”¹⁹

This new visual culture embraces plastic modernity while creating a corruption sublime. Just like peering from the top of a mountain out towards the infinite and glorious nature, standing in front of these sculptures also sparks fear in society—the fear of acknowledging how small a part of this puzzle an individual is, and how weak they stand. This acknowledgment only becomes more intense when the ruler is not nature, but the palace of bureaucracy.

In corruption sublime, the positioning matters. While in nature, elements appear organically and without a conscious positioning arranged by someone, in the city the elements are positioned rather cleverly by the people that profit from it. I find it quite interesting how Hito Steyerl perceives the construction of a linear perspective as a way of portraying a central viewpoint, the position of mastery and control.²⁰ Just like in Foucalt and Bentham’s panopticon, the empowerment of the subject by placing it in the middle appears to have unconscious effects on the society that surrounds it. These “political talismans” can be analysed as a way of state-observation that only communicates to the inner conscious because the outer appearance is mostly considered funny and lacking depth.

A few examples of bread-like sculptures appear to have visual associations with the Eye of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings, which represent the omnipotent features of a god that is all-powerful.

“Visual culture does not depend on pictures but on this modern tendency to picture or visualize existence.”²¹

The most dominant and popular aspect of political talismans are the re-occuring agricultural elements, each particularly connected to the city they inhabit. Whilst their visuals are the least exciting overall, they possess a great deal of potential information that we can interpret.

Symbolising a whole city with a vegetable strain obviously draws from outdated, unifying intentions. A city is much more than what a person can expect; it comes with million individual stories and carries widescale cultural value. An individual vegetable obviously cannot carry this heavy load, so as a result it simply functions unaware, superficially. Simplifying a city to a piece of polyester… Such a work can only be done by someone that investigates and observes that city in order to come up with accurate compositions and decisions. ➙D☎

These sculptures almost completely abandoned their possible associations with art, coming to a point where they no longer possess individuality, and once there is a new sculpture, the society immediately pushes it into the same categorisation with the others. This avenue of approach reminds me of Jinn’s: as if there is one body of work and it can just transform into whatever it wants. The core will always be the same. Moreover, the influence of the internet community plays a large role in this situation, the same as the agent Mr. Smith in the Matrix: just like a virus that it is not possible to stop because it transforms from one form into another. Despite the fact that there is has been widespread indignation towards them, none have been vandalised or attacked by society, in contrast to colonial sculptures in recent years. This is simply because their appearance does not highlight inequality or oppression.

¹²Chtcheglov, I. (1953). Formulary for a new urbanism. Bureau Of Public Secrets. Retrieved December 14, 2022, from http://www.bopsecrets.org/SI/Chtcheglov.htm ¹³Owner of few big companies in the sculpture sector ¹⁴Kesler, M. (2021, June 19). Sanat Değil Heykel Komedisi! Yapanlar Bile Sonuçtan Mutsuz... Hürriyet Newspaper. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/sanat-degil-heykel-komedisi-yapanlar-bile-sonuctan-mutsuz-41835209, translated by myself ¹⁵Kesler, M. (2021, June 19). Sanat Değil Heykel Komedisi! Yapanlar Bile Sonuçtan Mutsuz... Hürriyet Newspaper. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/sanat-degil-heykel-komedisi-yapanlar-bile-sonuctan-mutsuz-41835209, translated by myself ¹⁶ https://behavioralscientist.org/how-would-people-behave-in-milgrams-experiment-today/ ¹⁷Selfie çeken şehzade Heykelinin Telefonunu Kırdılar. Cumhuriyet Newspaper. (2016, November 21). Retrieved January 19, 2022, from https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/selfie-ceken-sehzade-heykelinin-telefonunu-kirdilar-633868 ¹⁸An instrument from Turkish folk music, a family member of the plucked string instruments. ¹⁹Bate, D. (2009). Photography: The key concepts. Berg Publishers. ²⁰Steyerl, H. (2011, April). In free fall: A thought experiment on Vertical Perspective . E-flux Journal #24 . Retrieved January 19, 2022, from https://www.e-flux.com/journal/24/67860/in-free-fall-a-thought-experiment-on-vertical-perspective/ ²¹Mirzoeff, N. (1998). What Is Visual Culture? In N. Mirzoeff (Ed.), The Visual Culture Reader. essay, Routledge.

If you like reasonable I'll be insane
If you like peace and flowers
I'm going to carry knives and chains
I'm going to be your Number one enemy.
(Number One Enemy, Slits, 1979)

Counter-culture seems to be quickly spreading as opposing norms is an artistic trend of the 21st century. When a denial is not possible to a subject-in-growth, it is simply a result of power-structures: the only way to deal with it is to become a part of it. This happens to be the case for the public sculptures in Turkey, too. If the leading party is showing-off with their sculptures, then the only way the other parties can deal with it and conquer the lands that they own is to place their own sculptures. Therefore, this so-called “counter-culture” starts to abandon its key features and becomes the trend itself. Here, is an arbitrary drawing from when I was trying to explain the loop-relation between counter-culture and trend.

In my opinion, the exponential spread and growth of these “theme park aesthetics” across the country is most responsive to the genre of absurdist fiction, where the main character is involved in absurd situations that result in them falling into the “hole” of obscure disillusionment. In the context of this thesis, our main characters are the politicians, with their meaningless actions being the result of their never-ending quest for fundamental purpose in their lives. The sculptures become evidence of their struggle in finding a meaning in their ivory palaces.

The sculptures non-directly communicate concepts like satire, dark humour, disdain, derision and incompatibility. While the philosophy behind it espouses absurdity, I interpreted its aesthetic values as a contributor to Camp. Although these talismans are not camp on purpose, they correspond to what Sontag defines as “camp”: “Indeed the essence of Camp is its love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration. And Camp is esoteric — something of a private code, a badge of identity even, among small urban cliques.”²⁵ Political talismans are ostentatious, unstable, elitist, exaggerated, affected, and theatrical, just as what camp is. According to Rhodes, “it really means something that’s over the top in its concept, that wouldn’t go unnoticed and [that has] a sense of humour about it but it’s not mainstream, and it’s joyous and out of the ordinary …”²⁶

Being a politician obviously comes with a lot of responsibility and formality, and a way of keeping the throne while trying to make things fun comes across with a series of techniques which matches how Cleto defines camp: “…improvising reality as a stage for outrageously ironic self-display and reinvention.”²⁷ This reinvention of the self sometimes occurs by reminiscing of childhood years and thinking about the utopian dream of establishing a themed space: turning a land into an absurdist fiction.

²⁵: Sontag, S. (1964). Notes On "Camp". ²⁶: Bekhrad, J. (2019, May 7). What does it mean to be camp? BBC Culture. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190503-what-does-it-mean-to-be-camp ²⁷: Bekhrad, J. (2019, May 7). What does it mean to be camp? BBC Culture. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190503-what-does-it-mean-to-be-camp

“Due to the invisible nature of corrupt transactions, corruption is difficult, if not impossible, to visualise.”⁴⁶ An image whose function is to communicate corruption appears to depart from the stereotyped path of playing with symbols like: money, shaking hands and the unrecognisable silhouettes of businessmen; although, this imagery is neither enough nor accurate.

A way to research a more accurate representation could be to reverse the method and search for anti-corruption organisations and their visual representations. Olli Hellmann focuses on the invisibility of corruption and how the anti-corruption industry visualises this “rare visual evidence”⁴⁷ with a focus on photography competitions run by Transparency International.

Furthermore, as the article concludes, TI’s visualisation does not go further than using colonial stereotypes and Northern/Western-centric historical narratives, which is neither fun nor playful especially in the 21st century. Looking at the logos of the anti-corruption organisations, it also appears to lack the playfulness I am looking for. It uses cliché-ridden symbols related to law and equality, while corruption can take on many forms even legally. Hellman also points out how large of a role this visuals play in terms of constructing knowledge and structuring what constitutes legitimate actions, in the manner of fighting corrupt behaviour.

“One of the most striking features of the new visual culture is the visualization of things that are not in themselves visual.”⁴⁸ mentions Mirzoeff under the title ‘What is Visual Culture?’

Luckily enough, the Turkish government has offered alternative narratives in this debate surrounding visualisation with their contributions to the new visual culture. Both the sculptures and the theme park play a big role in creating a “visual identity of corruption.” Although these creations may not be the best manner of explaining what corruption is to someone that is distant from the topic, they can become quite meaningful with a bit of context.

Their relation to the corrupting country is not something conscious, it is just the output of an evident-driven analysis. Political talismans, unlike politicians themselves, are neither against nor with corruption—they are just part of a collection of inauthentic evidence that lies between being an artefact and a masterpiece, according to anthropologist James Clifford’s diagram. In a way, it creates its own unique vocabulary of public interaction.

FUNDAMENTALS OF CORRUPTION

“Rogow and Lasswell (1963) have studied the personal lives of politicians and political bosses in the United States, and have developed a model of the psychological profile of the politician that relates unfulfilled childhood needs to corrupt behavior.”⁴⁹ This crucial discovery is highly relatable considering the behaviour of Turkish politicians. Their interest in childhood figures and aesthetics dovetails perfectly with their illogical acts.

Macrae (1982) offers a definition that is sufficiently broad for our purposes in the present study. He refers to corruption as an “arrangement” that involves “an exchange between two parties (the 'demander' and the 'supplier') which (i) has an influence on the allocation of resources either immediately or in the future and (ii) involves the use or abuse of public or collective responsibility for private ends.”⁵⁰

The haphazard management of public funds leads to enormous wealth inequalities. M. Shahid Alam states that inequality in the distribution of income can cause this corruption monster to grow, while Michael Johnston states that corruption causes greater inequalities in terms of income distribution. Therefore, a joint causality exists in between these two terms.

2017 Europe income inequality graph, Turkey in second place after Serbia ,Source: Euronews

1. POWERDISTANCE AND NEPOTISM

In a democratic system, responsible people are placed into their positions according to their skills and background, which in the bigger picture “makes the cogwheels turn.” Each gap in a system needs to be perfectly covered by that specific person so that an organisation can perform best. As 20 years have passed with the same ruling party in office, numerous points of concern have slowly started to rise to the surface. Today, the aim is no longer about fitting the gears perfectly and making the system run flawlessly, but rather to collect familiar cogwheels and transform it into a family environment. It does not matter if the machine will ever work again, the parts are placed and set, and will therefore receive their share. This paternalistic share, of course, comes in return for a subordinate’s dependence and loyalty. In high power-distance countries, ever-expanding families dominate every potential branch and thereby become millionaires.

“Decisions are not made on the basis of merit, but on the basis of a balance of favors and loyalty. A paternalistic system thus leaves considerable room for corruption in the form of favoritism and nepotism.”⁵¹

The family tree of nepotism in current governmental system, Source: T24 News

In the article “Wealth, Culture and Corruption,” Bryan W. Husted refers to Takyi-Asiedu’s take on power-distance: "Scandals involving people in authority are, almost always, covered up as long as they remain in power”. Husted concludes these cover-ups as a logical consequence of adherence from underlings. Applying this knowledge to the current state of Turkey, we see the consequences of conflicts that occur due to a nepotistic way of governing.

After the revelation of the president's health problems, the fight for the “golden throne” became even more intense with the would-be battlefield widening in scope. With the corrupt system becoming a huge internal mess, 'YÜİZG ZOYZBİZÖ’⁵² and ‘HEOÜBNZM HLBOF’⁵³, a duo that was part of the deep state, now were caught on camera giving each other an evil smile after hitting one another with their shoulders. This act represents a little hint to society as to how this ‘cover-up’ has started to fray when there are internal problems in the core governing group. In light of disregarding the promised loyalties, a corrupt system only becomes more corrupt as the backstage starts light up.

“After serving in ministerial posts for nearly five years, I took the decision not to continue my duty [as finance minister] due to health issues,” says ‘ZOYZBİZÖ’, the son-in-law of president ‘ÜIVLSZM'.⁵⁴ Surprisingly, their resignation came on the 8th of November 2020, which is the day after ‘ÜIVLSZM' sacked the central bank governor due to a 30 percent drop in value of the Turkish Lira against the US Dollar. ➙P☎

2. UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE AND FEAR OF ABSTRACT

Movement creates a lack of clarity—that is the nature of motion blur. Paradoxically, the movement that I am interested in does not welcome any unclarity; it even appears to be the core of this movement, and defining the style of political talismans. The figures that are portrayed with these sculptures are mostly depicting a character from the past and not allowing any uncertainty through. This reduces the risk of public reactions through the help of familiar appearances. ➙Q☎

Hofstede (1997) defines this avoidance of uncertainty as “the extent to which members of a culture feels threatened by uncertainty or unknown situations.”⁵⁸ He also mentions that corruption is a mechanism that can be used to reduce uncertainty. However, the people in power are threatened by this uncertainty which visually translates into abstract shapes and brutalism.

In 1994, ‘NÜOQŞ TKÖWÜÖ’ viewed the artwork “Periler Ülkesinde”⁵⁹ for the first time, in his own territory, Ankara. He immediately asked for its removal after spitting on it. Besides his contemporary artistic career, we can see that he actually started as an art-critic. In this ideology of criticism, undefinable structures are strictly immaterial.

Unfortunately this was not the only time Aksoy’s public artworks had suffered from the avoidance of uncertainty. In 2006, the sculptor Mehmet Aksoy unveiled the “Humanity Monument” in Kars.⁶⁰ Five years later, when President ‘ÜIVLSZM’ visited the city, his eyes were confronted with this enormous brutalist structure which led to confusing moments as he grappled with what he saw. He entitled these concrete blocks as “ucube” which translates into something like “monstrous, weird and freak.” After this designation, he asked for the disintegration of the sculpture.

Based on what is preferred to be seen and what is being hidden, we can conclude that there is definitely something to do with the ‘recognisability’ of a sculpture. It is the fear of abstract. If something does not have clear associations, it is considered dangerous; the same goes for the rise of graffiti in Turkey, with the first sprayers being denounced as Satanists. Although it was far from it, unrecognisable letters and forms were immediately alienated by society. This stems from the range of possible meanings they could carry. ➙R☎

In World War II, the moment Allied forces invaded Sicily, the world’s most famous masterpieces in the Galleria dell’ Accademia were at risk and therefore needed to be moved to safety. However, there were a few works of art that required new protective solutions due to their large size, like Michelangelo’s David. Building a brick cage around these highly-figurative sculptures turned them into pieces of uncertainty and mystery.

Top and bottom image: Tweet from museum historian Anna Tulliach’s archival find. https://twitter.com/annatulliach/status/966313810616291328

In contrast to the uncertain being avoided, an abstract shape becomes a stubborn barrier against destructive forces. One may beg the question as to which one would be more disturbing for the Turkish government: the concrete unrecognisable cage or the nude male figure that is preserved inside it?

⁴⁶Hellmann, O. (2019). The visual politics of corruption. Third World Quarterly, 40(12), 2129–2152. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2019.1636224 ⁴⁷Hellmann, O. (2019). The visual politics of corruption. Third World Quarterly, 40(12), 2129–2152. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2019.1636224 ⁴⁸Mirzoeff, N. (1998). What Is Visual Culture? In N. Mirzoeff (Ed.), The Visual Culture Reader. essay, Routledge. ⁴⁹Husted, B. W. (1999). Wealth, culture, and corruption. Journal of International Business Studies, 30(2), 339–359. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490073 ⁵⁰Husted, B. W. (1999). Wealth, culture, and corruption. Journal of International Business Studies, 30(2), 339–359. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490073 ⁵¹Husted, B. W. (1999). Wealth, culture, and corruption. Journal of International Business Studies, 30(2), 339–359. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490073 ⁵²Minister of Finance and the Treasury ⁵³Minister of the Interior ⁵⁴Al Jazeera. (2020, November 9) ⁵⁵Molla Nasreddin the antimodern. Slavs and Tatars. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2022, from https://www.slavsandtatars.com/cycles/regions-d-etre/molla-nasreddin-the-antimodern ⁵⁶Anecdotes. Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Culture and Tourism. (n.d.). Retrieved January 19, 2022, from https://www.ktb.gov.tr/EN-117877/anecdotes.html ⁵⁷McLuhan, M.,& Fiore, Q. (1967). The medium is the massage. Random House. ⁵⁸ Hofstede, G. H. (1997). Cultures and organizations software of the mind. McGraw-Hill. ⁵⁹‘In the Fairy Country’ ⁶⁰A city in Eastern Turkey ⁶¹‘Long live NZMHFİ BZDZĞ’ written in Kurdish language, trying to create a narrative based on fascist intentions that defines left party’s audience as Kurdish and vandal; in order to effect left party’s votes.

As the years pass, the people in charge of the city obviously change. This may be the result of elections, but can be based on the internal problems of the government as well. In 2017, ‘NÜOQŞ’ resigned on President ‘ÜIVLSZM’s demand, and his lovely dinosaurs that were placed with the hopes of eternal presence, started to disappear one by one after this resignation. They met the same tragic end as ‘ZMÖZJZİÖ', with his creations being abandoned and placed out of sight: stored in dark hangars. The materials are slowly decaying as there is no attention paid to them. This once upon a time fantasy is now turning into a political graveyard, one of ideologies and aesthetics of corruption. The medium becomes the message, as these entities start to collapse and decay in dark hangars, the corrupt behaviour finds its place in the physicality of the world. Time and place are layered in their meaning, and the destructive core starts to be exposed, creating a beautiful scene. That intersection of the careless fantasy and decayed reality forms a unique juxtaposition—that harmonious contrast is what attracts me the most to this topic, the aesthetics of destruction. ➙S☎

The aftermath of ‘ZMÖZJZİÖ’ is much more attractive than the functional attraction park. It gives off the appearance of an abandoned territory with no electrical connections, turned into an eccentric land once a human being trespasses in these indoor areas with strong flashlights. It disregards how the interior lighting of the park was curated and reveals the most natural and innocent look. The darkness that that the skin of the park has been exposed to for years all of a sudden lightens up from the point of view and everything that is in the background slowly fades into its inherent darkness.

The effects of this vast change makes me wonder about the possibilities of turning this sublime land into a showcase—a museum. The same goes for the removed sculptures. The act of removal and discarding them, although it can be considered an ethical revenge, should not also have is function as a historical eraser overlooked.

In concluding the thesis, I would also like to view these topics from alternative perspectives that could alter their functionality in today’s presence. All these creations are undoubtedly great vestiges and artefacts from today’s world for the next generations. Their existence can only be criticised by placing them before society’s eyes. These sculptures do not necessarily need to be kept at their initial location; they could still be moved somewhere out of sight, but then that place of preservation needs certain care and curation. The storage hangars that they are being kept or destroyed in could become a fully-functioning cultural museum. Informing current and next generations about this art movement could assist with identifying alternative means to approach it in future; just like when Surrealists becomes bored during some of their late night gatherings and came up with the game Cadavre Exquis.

Left image: Yves Tanguy, Man Ray, Max Morise & Joan Miró, 1927 Right image: Gala Dali, André Breton, Valentine Hugo, date unknown

Left image: Man Ray, Yves Tanguy, Joan Miro, and Max Morise Cadavrer exquis, 1928 Right image: Max Morise, Man Ray, Yves Tanguy, Joan Miró, 1927

Left image: Salvador Dali, André Breton, Valentine Hugo, 1932 Right image: Yves Tanguy, Man Ray, Max Morise and Joan Miró, 1926

Marko Ristić, Ševa Ristić, André Thirion, Aleksandar Vučo, Lula Vučo, and Vane Živadinović Bor, 1930

As the sculptures are made on order, it would be interesting to see a collaborative process in their creation; preferably, through a few representatives from different parties, combining their visions and preferences in the form of a cadavre-exquis. Without knowing each other’s preferences, they would fold the paper and fill out the side they are responsible for. This vertical stacking of ideologies would undoubtedly lead to a sense of hierarchy which could be managed according to the weight of each vote. The most popular party could reserve their spot at the top, while the other parties would still be present. In that way, the output would not be about the ruling government, but about every voice in parliament in a democratic manner. Regardless, this race is unstoppable as each city already proved their presence, so the time has come to the fun part, to perform it in the form of cadavre-exquis. At the end of the day, the absurdist politics needs to reconnect to their good old Surrealist brothers.