Bülent Sangar
Detail from the Suret series, 2003-2004

Bülent Şangar’s staged photography varies a recurring motif in his oeuvre: people holding their hands protectively in front of their faces. The prohibition of showing one’s face originates from the religion of Islam and is translated by Şangar into different contemporary contexts with different groups of people, in which a fear of being seen, recognized or hurt is usually expressed – to the point of losing one’s own identity. In this picture, it is a group of four women sitting around a table with their arms propped up, their faces buried in their hands. A pack of cigarettes, a lighter, an ashtray and a gold purse can be seen on the reflective marble surface of the table. As in most of Şangar’s works, the message is ambivalent – one senses that it is about shame, addiction and the often contradictory position of the “modern woman” in a patriarchal society.
Text: Eva Scharrer