International Journal of Art and Art History

An Analysis of Erinc Seymen’s “A Portrait of a Pasha” and His Other Anti- Militarist Artworks
Leyla Ersen

Abstract
First artwork to be analyzed is called Portrait of A Pasha by Erinc Seymen consisting of 1000 bullet holes on a wood panel. Pasha stands for famous Turkish drag singer Zeki Müren. The artwork mainly symbolizes Zeki Müren’s contrasting potential of glorification or extermination due to his queer identity in male and heterosexual dominated Turkish society. Body of the drag singer Zeki Müren “disapproved, attacked, in danger of destruction” is controlled with sexual violence by being “penetrated” with bulletp. Homophobic intervention from verbal to action by the society increases the fragility of queer identity. Within this context, embarking from Seymen’s “Portrait of a Pasha”, the connection between militarism, male dominated fascist image and homosexuality can be questioned. Secondly, Erinç Seymen’s other anti- militarist artworks will be analyzed. It will be stated that object of desire in the totalitarian regime is under the cover of heroism, masculinity, machines and being suppressed.

Full Text: PDF       DOI: 10.15640/ijaah.v5n1a1