Aykırı
Date: 2012
Region: Asia
Subject: Religion, Sexual Orientation and Social
Medium: Photography
Artist: Barış Barlas and others
Confronting Bodies:
- Turkey news agency
- Two Turkish newspapers
- Officials from the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality
Dates of Action: January, 2012
Location: İzmir, Turkey
Description of Artwork: İzmir Photography Art Association (İFOD) members called for its members to contribute to an exhibition titled “Aykırı” (Contrary). Photographs were submitted by 48 artists, with 33 images eventually selected and put on display at the İzmir Art Center at Kültürpark on January 3.
Among the photographs that caused controversy were two headscarfed women kissing each other, two men kissing each other, and a headscarfed woman wearing a bikini.
The Incident: A national news agency reported that three photographs in the exhibition contradicted religious and social values. Two national newspapers then ran similar stories on January 8, with one article saying “a photography exhibition that insults religious values has alarmed the country.”
The next day, officials from the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality removed the three photographs in question from the exhibition.
Results of Incident: The organizers canceled the event after accusing municipal officials of censorship for removing three contentious photographs from the show. “We cannot accept this censorship,” İFOD Chairman Beynan Özdemir said.
Members of İFOD gathered in front of the gallery on January 11 and demonstrated their disapproval by removing the other photos from the exhibit. “Because of groundless and provocative news in some press organs, the İzmir Municipality censored the exhibit. Without informing İFOD, it removed three photos from the exhibit and closed them in a room. Officials said that they would not let these photos be displayed anymore,” Özdemir said.
Özdemir said they had so far opened hundreds of exhibitions in different parts of the world. “As photographic artists, we have never made religious discrimination. And in order to protest this censorship, we removed our photos from the exhibit.”
Barış Barlas, who took the photo of the two men kissing each other during a trip to Mexico said: “It is a real photo. This may be contrary to us but is accepted abroad.
Source: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/censorship-debate-scuttles-exhibit.aspx?pageID=238&nID=11343&NewsCatID=385 & http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2012/01/turkey-art-exhibition-caught-in-censorship-debate/