Nancy Atakan at Pi ArtWorks

Nancy Atakan’s new work will be on display at Istanbul’s Pi Artworks until June 25. In her work, Atakan investigates the extreme routes taken by contemporary individuals and societies to become attractive to others, whether it be the opposite sex or foreign investors.

Women and men undergo surgery to alter their physical appearance. Politicians promote urban transformation to attract global investment. Plastic surgeons add to and take away from human bodies like sculptors molding clay. Urban developers thoughtlessly demolish communities and ways of life for profit. Societies that place high value on beauty and youth continuously change, disguise and eliminate the “old” built structure or human body. Violence of this type can be physical or psychological. Atakan uses a variety of techniques including silkscreen, photography, digital prints and digital video to transform discarded objects found in local flea markets.