Sera Boeno

Words Naked/Are Not Enough

Words Naked/Are Not Enough is a body of work on representations of women in mainstream Turkish media. Quotes that refer to women are extracted and re-presented in archeological forms that have historically celebrated male glory. Formally, Monument II establishes language as a literal building block. The grid of concrete embossings suggests a coherent whole, while absences deny information or leave room for interpretation. Combined with its archaic aesthetic, the contemporariness of the work’s materials yield ambiguous objects that visualize antiquated conceptualizations of womanhood extant today. Simultaneously, they stretch the foundational quality of language in building culture and identity, from cuneiform to tabloid. The series pulls from monuments that have been moved from their point of origin, namely the Assyrian Reliefs, the Obelisk, and the Altar of Zeus. Inherent to the works is the question: what happens to a cultural signifier when it migrates across contexts?

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