‘Empoisoned Princess’ performance in Istanbul's Tarlabaşı

ISTANBUL

Leman Darıcıoğlu’s performance “Empoisoned Princess” will be presented in Istanbul’s central Tarlabaşı neighborhood and ALAN İstanbul until Feb. 15. 

Tarlabaşı is a low-income Roma and Kurdish neighborhood that also serves as a sanctuary for Turkey’s marginalized population. Located in the heart of the city, near İstiklal Avenue in Taksim, Tarlabaşı has been the site of putative urban renewal after many families were forced from their homes as historical buildings were demolished.  

The performance consists of two parts. In the live performance section, the artist wanders Tarlabaşı’s streets to collect the remaining traces of a princess, while keeping a diary of the quest through film and photographs. 

The second part takes place in the gallery space of ALAN İstanbul where the artist presents an active placement of the collected objects and data, which keep evolving and growing every day, giving life to the princess. 

Darıcıoğlu aims to investigate the questions such as “If Tarlabaşı were a princess, where did she live? Where did she used to hang around in the neighborhood? Who was her mother, her father, her friends and her lover? Why was she poisoned and how is her treatment proceeding?” through the “present state” of the streets, the memory of the district, the city itself and its transformation. At the same time, Darıcıoğlu aims to highlight the impact of gentrification on the area by showing what has been effaced and what currently stands as reality.

Darıcıoğlu’s performance is being organized in collaboration between Performistanbul and ALAN İstanbul.