ANOTHER KIND OF PASSPORT

Gülsün Karamustafa and Alex Klein

In this conversation Gülsün Karamustafa and Alex Klein delve into the formative years of Karamustafa’s trajectory shaped by the geopolitical landscape, political engagement, and artistic tools for resistance. From the Iron Curtain confining her childhood in Turkey to reporting on the ground for BBC Radio in politically charged 1970s London, Karamustafa's experiences set the stage for her powerful artistic practice. Denied passports for 16 years, she and her husband found themselves imprisoned within Turkey, leading to a profound exploration of migration and adaptation in her art. The lifting of travel restrictions in 1986 marked a transformative period, enabling extensive global travel that influenced her work's evolution. From collaborative ventures in cinema to exhibitions worldwide, Karamustafa's art becomes a literal and metaphorical passport, fostering mutual exchange and solidarity across borders. Karamustafa shares her personal experiences, a down to earth life review, in advance of her exhibition in the Turkish Pavilion at the 60th edition of the Venice Art Biennale, itself a conundrum of the continuing contradictions of nationhood, intangible cultural heritage, and man-made borders.