스킵네비게이션

Born in 1971, Derik, Turkey

Lives in Diyarbakir

Erkan ÖZGEN, Wonderland, 2016, Single channel video, color, sound, 3min 54sec

Defining himself as an artist-activist, Erkan ÖZGEN works with the complications which derive from war and violence and the trauma following such situations. He expands the narration beyond the political level to a personal or humanitarian level, concerning stories which have been forgotten or deliberately concealed. Wonderland (2016) delivers the story of a boy named Muhammed living in Kobani, a Syrian village lying at the border with Turkey. The village fought against the attack of ISIS that began on September 2014, and their 107 days of resistance caught worldwide attention. Deaf and mute, Muhammed uses body language and sound to explain the incident of his family escaping from ISIS. For ÖZGEN, the wordless story of Muhammed is a powerful statement against war, and an action which has the potential to spark strong voices against wars. Such belief is a lamentation on the status quo which is disappearing in the midst of the endless flood of information, and also a redefinition and reminder of the indifference towards devastation and ruins caused by armed conflicts within the political and social ecosystem.