Hale Tenger, Selected Works (2000 – 2010)

Having touched upon Hale Tenger’s body of work during the period 1990-2000 in an earlier post, this post will discuss a selection of her work which was produced from the early 2000′s until today, a period where Tenger’s practice took on a more poetic and dreamlike approach and was based upon the reflections of various psychological conditions. One clearly sees, as in her earlier work, that her main intention is creating an atmosphere, rather than simply showing a work of art, where she invites the viewer into her political, artistic and personal history.

Being  a Turk (2002)

The subject of Turkey was explored once more through the installation “Being a Turk”, which was actually an extension to a work created ten years earlier entitled “Everything Must Go” (1992), where she transported her entire studio to the exhibition space. Unlike her earlier work, which acted almost as a retrospective of various objects that existed in her studio,  “Being a Turk” used only one object, fabric dolls. By positioning the fabric dolls in strange positions, leaning back and forth or upside down, Tenger created a duality in the way they could be interpreted. Where they disoriented or just having a ball? During this period, the turmoil in Turkey was linked to police brutality, and was contested publicly by protests like that of the Galatasary “Saturday Mothers” whose children had disappeared while in police custody. This feeling of tension and unrest was represented through the audio playing in the background. Composed by Serdar Ateşer it included extracts of oath ceremonies from parliament members, military marches, folksongs and the speech of a police chief  denying accusations of custody-related disappearances. This installation, with hundreds of its topsy turvy figures, seemed to define being a Turk with a certain sense of disorientation and thus brought a critical view regarding the Turkish contemporary identity.

Hale Tenger, “Being a Turk (Between 26° West-45° East Meridians and 36° South-42° North Parallels)”, 2002, Fabric dolls, audio by Serdar Ateşer. Dimensions variable.

Turkish Delight (2003)

The Priapus figure featured in “Turkish Delight” was first used by Tenger in her work “I Know People Like This II” in 1992  as a form of criticism again government policies in Turkey. A decade later, the same figure used to criticize the state, is seen here ‘decorated’ by Tenger, in a way illustrating the positive changes that were occurring in Turkey at the time, albeit at a slower pace than promised. The Priapus God’s body in “Turkish Delight”  is covered in flower, Tulip and Iznik plate patterns, characteristic of the Ottoman era, acting as tatoos on the body, while its large male organ, is covered in vines ending in grapes. Created in part as a celebration of state reform, the piece is nonetheless still skeptical, as represented by the cloud patterns around the Priapus head.

Hale Tenger, “Turkish Delight”, 2003, Majolica terra cotta, 8 x 14.5 x 19 cm.

“Give me back my innocence” (2005)

Part of the exhibition titled “Cant Come Close” at Galerie Nev in 2005, “Give Me Back My Innocence” was part of a series of works created by Tenger in which installations where placed in an atmosphere that evoked fairytales, childhood and the dreamlike. This installation, inspired by the tale of Cinderella-a tale that exists in some form in most cultures- places the viewers in circumstances that are both familiar and comforting, but simultaneously make the viewer aware of the extent that these fairy tales have become internalized in our imaginary, and the consequences of entrapment that lie in doing so.

Hale Tenger, "Give Me Back my Innocence", 2005, crystal shoe, velvet pillow, motion sensor and audio, dimensions variable.

Dancing Queen (2005)

Another work featured in the exhibition “Cant Come Close” (2005) was “Dancing Queen” 2005. A cross between an installation and sculpture, “Dancing Queen’s umbrella like shape, invites the viewer to enter it, only to find that once they do, the classic Abba song of the same name would start to play. This sudden transformation of ‘viewer’, to ‘performer’, challenges both the simplified categorization and description of what the work itself is, but more then that it confronts the viewer with the role they themselves have undertaken as mere ‘observers’. This transformation of the ‘gaze’, usually placed on the work itself, is returned inadvertently to the viewer and internalized as if they themselves were the work under observation.

Hale Tenger, ”Dancing Queen”, 2005, plexiglass, brass, half mirror light bulbs, motion sensor and audio, d: 123 cm; h: 60 cm

Beirut (2005-2007)

The video “Beirut” was shot by Tenger in 2005 shortly after the assassination of Rafic Hariri in Beirut, and consisted of the facade of the once-glamourous hotel St.George, a hotel awaiting renovation to return it to heights of past grandeur. Tenger, who was staying opposite the St. George and had to film in secret because the area was under U.N military investigation, captured the movement of the white curtain like fabrics which were hung outside each of the St.George’s balconies. The video acted in part as a personification of the difference in atmosphere existing in Beirut at the time between day and night. The light breeze of daylight, moved the white fabric curtains in a serene almost ethereal manner in contrast to the harsh evening  breeze which created an unpredictable almost violent movement. This contrast in tension was further accentuated by the inclusion of an audio track of bombings sounds taken from the Israeli attack of 2007, and was further accompanied by music composed by Serdar Ateşer, Tenger’s long term audio collaborater.

Hale Tenger, Beirut, 2005-2007, Video, 3’47”, Music by Serdar Ateser, audio from YouTube/msoubra

Lâhavle (2007)

“Lâhavle” is a Turkish idiom used in moments when a person suppresses their rising anger in response to being brought to the absolute limit of their patience. Returning to her earlier works where the titles often reflected the concepts of the artworks themselves, Tenger investigates and breaks down the word “Lâhavle”, in which ‘havle’ (power) is negated by the prefix of ‘lâ’ placed before it. In doing so she explores once again the theme of human beings’ relationship to power and force, and the consequential powerlessness felt by the masses to whom this force is always exerted.

Hale Tenger,"Lahavle", 2007, site specific installation, fiberglass cast legs, 6-channel video and audio, music by Serdar Ateser, dimensions variable

“We are so lightly here” (2009)

Taken  from the Leonard Cohen song Boogie Street, “We are so Lightly Here”, is Tenger’s artistic reference to life and our existence within it. The piece invites to look at our ethereal existence in the universe and the nature of how we are brought in to life and ultimately the way that we leave it, in an almost poetic manner. In contrast with the look of a s atin pillow the piece is created from cast bronze and theparachute man statuette is placed on it, challenging  the austerity associated with the conventional uses of the “plinth” and therefore allowing for a broader reading of the work which extends beyond art itself.

Hale Tenger, "We are so lightly here", 2009, bronze, acrylic and enamel, 54 x 47 x 15 cm

Strange Fruit (2009)

The installation “Strange Fruit”, is another work of Tenger’s in which the viewer is separated between two worlds, their own, and the one created by the artist. Walking through a dense wall of white boa feathers followed by black boa feathers, the viewer finds themselves in a dark room which is illuminated by slowly moving stars and a rotating globe suspended from the ceiling. This globe is a “Blue Marble” globe, in other words a geographical one. In a second room, which has an automated black boa feather curtain that opens at preset intervals revealing another globe again suspended from the ceiling, but this one is an upside down political globe. However walking over, the viewer discovers that the names of countries, cities, mountains, rivers and all have actually been printed right side up. The background music, arranged by  Serdar Ateşer, accentuates the ethereal nature of the installation. The arrangement is at most times a backwards version of  Heitor Villa Lobos’s aria Bachiana Brasilera No. 5. “Strange Fruit” takes its name from a poem written in the 1930’s by Abel Meeropol about racial injustice taking place in the American South. In this recent installation, Tenger not only points to the social injustices happening in the world, but actually creates a scenario where earth itself is personified as another “being” that has been violated. Though strong in its depiction and message, the piece is nonetheless not aggressive. Its contemplative attitude creates a feeling of compassion in the viewer without forcing a reaction upon them.

Hale Tenger, "Strange Fruit", 2009. Mixed media installation including video and audio, music by Heitor Villa-Lobos arranged by Serdar Ateser, dimensions variable

Hale Tenger, "Strange Fruit", 2009. Mixed media installation including video and audio, music:Heitor Villa-Lobos arranged by Serdar Ateser, dimensions variable

Hale Tenger, "Strange Fruit", 2009. Mixed media installation including video and audio, music:Heitor Villa-Lobos arranged by Serdar Ateser, dimensions variable

For a complete overview of Hale’s works please see Hale Tenger Artwork List.