Ballerinas and Police

Halil Altindere’s work (TU, 1971, based in Istanbul) explores and interrogates political, social and cultural codes. For this video piece, Altindere collaborated with ballerinas and opera singers to create a searing and provocative critique of Turkey’s political and social crisis. The “protesting ballerinas”, standing as a metaphor for a new and different subculture, reveal new rituals of resistance, with dance serving as their weapon in response to police violence. At the same time, the artist highlights the personality cults of political leaders by placing their portraits in and around his characters’ environment.