Site specific installation and performance

12th Istanbul Bienal, as a part of NON STAGE, co-comissioned by NON Gallery (Derya Demir, Barış Berker Karakoç)

Curated by Katya Krylova

Video production by Ilya Pusenkoff

I pictured a few people that I used to like. Some of them I knew better, some of them I only met once

Defamiliarisation N1: these images were printed in the form of primal transfers, or decals

Defamiliarisation N2: the transfers were placed on the bodies of random people -- those volunteers who agreed to stand for the entire day behind a plywood wall at an old synagogue in the old part of Istanbul, and show parts of their bodies through lighted holes in this wall

(My body was concealed behind one of the holes in this same wall)

Visitors were invited to guess where the body of the artist was hidden, and to knock three times on the window they've chosen. Nothing would have happened if they guessed wrong. They were supposed to see the result immediately in case they have guessed correctly

Defamiliarization N3: during the performance a photographer was taking pictures in a bodily frame, both literally and figuratively

Defamiliarisation N4: each picture was printed at a later stage and placed in a plywood mount

PHOTOBODY continues my series of works exploring glory holes as a tool of artist/audience complicated relationship. It brings the subject to a certain degree of defamiliarisation where what is hidden behind the wall remains unimportant while the interaction between the artist and the audience comes across sacred and sensual

Studio Management Mitya Samoylov, Anna Shpilko - Co-ordination Fatih Genckal - Co-performers Fatih Gençkal, Hazal Gencay, Su Guzey, Metehan Kayan, Hande Ozelsancak, Taskın Fuat Akman, Gizem Gencay, Murat Baykan, Nese Ceren Tosun, Tugçe Kanbur, Utku Kara, İzlem Oktay, Sirin Önder, Tugçe Kanbur, and Gustaf Londré - Special thanks to Aylin Savkan, Fatih Genckal, Hazal Gencay, and Elena Kaimanova - Photography André Sicuro, Abdullah İnal, Fyodor Pavlov-Andreevich - Film André Sicuro, Ilya Pusenkoff

photos by Andre Sicuro