FR - EN
Mikail Koçak (BE) - NOSTALJIK ALBÜM
"Through his practice, Mikail Koçak creates spaces of encounter and interaction using the common repertoire of archetypes linked to Turkish culture. For his exhibition at Les Brasseurs, he invites us on an inner journey tinged with tenderness and nostalgia: the nostalgia of a possible return to the original territory, transmitted by blood to each generation of immigrant children, and which finds a powerful echo in the music known as «Arabesk».
Born at the beginning of the twentieth century in a young Republic of Turkey in full process of Westernization, this popular musical current crystallizes the feeling of dissociation of the rural populations relegated to the periphery of the developing urban areas. Between the hope of success and the wound of uprooting, this immediate musical language expresses, through the metaphor of tragic love stories, a deep need for integration but also the quest for a balance between modern individualism and traditional values. For decades, these melodies have accompanied Turkish workers and their families scattered across Europe and have become the soundtrack to the fantasy of a return to their homeland with the aura of social and economic success.
A return to the country that can only be done in its flagship; the Mercedes 190/w201, icon of a whole community." P.S.
This project is part of our 9th cycle: GLOWS.
Fleeting radiance or soft but lasting lightning, manifestation of thought, sensibility and emotion, this notion will illuminate for two years the singular projects of six artists.
Photos : 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 & 11 ©Mikail Koçak
