UGLY

Solo exhibition at DEPO, Istanbul

Oct. 22 - Nov. 27, 2016

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Ali Cabbar’s exhibition at DEPO reveals the “ugly” side of Turkish democracy in the wake of the failed coup attempt in July 2016. By recreating the logos and election posters of Turkish political parties formed since the end of the one-party system in the mid '40s, the artist draws a parallel between their clumsy designs and a clumsy democracy.

He argues that these images are so carelessly conceived that they fail to stimulate real democratic debate.

The show, titled Ugly, explores the country’s recent past through the graphic material of existing, dissolved, and banned parties, as well as its enduring quest for democracy. The thought-provoking installation urges viewers to reflect on the past and consider how the country arrived at its current situation.​

For the exhibition, Ali Cabbar painted around 50 party logos on canvas in the style of a traditional sign painter and stenciled around 30 pastel posters on paper. Election posters from the 1950s and 1960s, focusing on poor farmers or workers and promoting land reform, illustrate how much Turkey has changed. However, by using old techniques, Cabbar emphasizes that although Turkey has changed, some things have remained the same. Due to the lack of available visual documentation, even for parties established more recently, the preparation process for the exhibition was both a challenge and a testament to the absence of the nation’s collective memory.