Halil Altındere, 1971

Born in Mardin, Halil Altındere graduated from the painting department of Çukurova University before obtaining his MFA in painting from the Fine Arts Faculty of Marmara University. Focusing on cultural codes, Altındere explores the political and social atmosphere of the period through various means of expression such as hyper-real sculptures, installations with humorous touches, and videos imitating fictional documentaries. Approaching subjects such as power, sociology of gender, militarism, and nationalism, the artist occasionally includes himself in his narratives. In his post-2000s output, Altındere turns his attention to subcultures and situations that seem ordinary in the quotidian but are, in fact, extraordinary. 

Halil Altındere’s “Dancing with Taboos” series interrogates what money and identity represent while exploring issues relating to politics and social structure through ID cards and currency. The image of Atatürk on the front of a 1 million Turkish Lira banknote bestows a different meaning upon the money’s existence as he buries his face in his hands. With this gesture, it is as if he hides from a situation unrelated to him. Altındere lays bare the currency with many zeros, the most conspicuous symbol of a crumbling economy, which is exemplied by Turkey putting the world’s largest bill denomination in circulation in 1995. The 1 million TL banknote was worth 2 US Dollars at the time. Through humor, Altındere compels viewers to reflect upon the real value of money and the sources of shame or pride in their nation and economy .