may they destroy the mountains,
may those who see it cry, 2024

graduation work Gerrit Rietveld Academie
BA 2024

05.47 min

In the east of the Netherlands, right in front of my childhood home, a Turkish choir sings. A cultural contrast between two worlds. Here arises thelonging for a lost homeland, a sentiment shared by many Turkish-Dutch individuals. You can settle elsewhere, but it never has the unquestioned certainty of where you come from. With relocation, a certain unbroken naivety about identity and place is lost. For generations, a deep homesickness for the past and the homeland has remained. Thus, the one who settles in another country remains, in a sense, always on the journey, between here and there, between then and now. You are never fully there; it is there, and yet not quite. A longing for the idea of the past remains. This work emerges from my personal quest for my Turkish identity. I grew upin the east of the Netherlands with a Turkish mother and a Dutch father. My Turkish mother often plays a central role in my work, and this journey began with her. With this work, I want to fully return to the core, to the origin of my identity. The Turkish choir, placed in front of my childhood home, symbolizes the connection between my Dutch upbringing and my Turkish heritage. It is a representation of the quest for who I am, a celebration of my roots, and an acknowledgment of the complexity of my background. With this work, I try to represent the hope that memories can be kept alive and lost pieces of our identity can be rediscovered. This work is a monument to my childhood, my family, and the shared longing of many for a place that no longer physically exists, but will always live on in our hearts.

funded by:

Berlage fonds
Fundatie Renswoude
Bekker la Bastide
M.C de Visser fonds
Yurtdisi Türkler ve Akraba Topluluklar Baskanligi (YTB)