Hüseyin Bahri Alptekin, 1957-2007

Born in 1957 in İzmir, Hüseyin Bahri Alptekin became known as an artist, philosopher, writer, critic, curator and lecturer before he died in 2007 in Istanbul. Alptekin pursued graduate studies in philosophy, aesthetics and sociology at Hacettepe University in Ankara and the Sorbonne in Paris. For many years the thought academic courses in Istanbul and Ankara on the philosophy of art, art criticism and visual arts and sound. He also focused on artistic collaboration and collective work and founded several art initiatives. His works have been featured in various biennials, exhibitions and collections around the world.

From the 1990s onward, Alptekin came to prominence through his artistic productions. Focusing on the issues of globalization, borders and circulation, he explored the socio-psychological reflections of traveling, nomadism, migration, and exile. The effects of depression, boredom and a vulnerable yet playful mood can often be felt in his works, at the basis of which are the cross-cultural experiences, personal histories, objects and images he accumulated on his numerous journey as a frequent traveler. He created seemingly hybrid or anonymous collages and installations using diverse media, such as photographs, objects, sounds, texts and videos, etc. that he either found in archives and collections, replicated or produced himself.

In his work from 2001, the words TREMOR, RUMOUR, HOOVER are written with colored sequins on a shiny silver background. At first glance, the work looks like a rhyming slogan created through free association or word play - a large billboard that seems like a colorful, glittering, evanescent, and playful work. The use of sequins stems from the artist’s interest in handicrafts such as sewing and embroidery, which are not considered high art; and the billboard is chosen because of the symbolic power of plaques, boards and signs, and other communications tools in public spaces to address the masses. The associations of the words and the way they are clustered are rather personal and multilayered; they can only be deciphered through the artist’s previous works and his personal notes. “Tremor makes rumour, rumour makes humour” was that be wrote in reference to the fear of earthquakes that developed among people living in Istanbul in the aftermath of the big earthquake of August 17, 1999 and to the rumors and urban legends that started spreading afterwards. “Tremor Sea, Black Tremor, Hoover the water” is about his own discontent and desire to escape (the city). And “Hoovering life/ Hoover, I know all about your rumours” are the words he used to emphasize the need for spiritual purification in the society in which he lived. All these lines point to the coherence and meanings represented in the words in his work.