Manifesta purposely strives to keep its distance from what are often seen as the dominant centres of artistic production, instead seeking fresh and fertile terrain for the mapping of a new cultural topography.
Mehmet Aksoy, TR
U Bahn‘da bir akort işçisi (A Pieceworker in the Subway), 1983. Oil crayon on paper 48 × 43.5 cm.
Mehmet Aksoy is a sculptor who works primarily with stone and metal. In 1972, he immigrated to Berlin. Since then, his sculptures have dealt with political and social repression in Turkey and Germany. In doing so, he combines a realistic, often allegorical visual language with modern, sometimes abstract forms. Characteristic is his alternation between detailed modelling and reduced, incised surfaces. In later large-format marble sculptures, he focuses more on the psychological traces of social conflicts. Aksoy understands art as a form of communication and humanistic commitment.