Here Is No Water, But Only Rock

Continuing his art practice in Diyarbakır, where he was born and grew up, Cengiz Tekin produces photographic works and videos casting light on the political, cultural, and social status of a geography and the contradictions it holds. The works of the artist not only offer a critical view of daily life through elements of fiction, play and humour, but also contain a universal dimension. Tekin, who frequently includes the natural aspects of the region and the living spaces of individuals in his photographs, emphasises the role that ecological issues play in political decisions.

The photograph titled "Here Is No Water, But Only Rock" consists of a landscape which, at first glance, lacks any spark of life. This drought-stricken scene of stone piles is a deceptive image hiding an utterly different truth. A closer look at the photo reveals that there are people and plants among the stones. Stone is an item that we quite often come across in Tekin’s production, with its meanings and connotations regarding both social and geographical space. With its mise-en-scène, "Here Is No Water, But Only Rock" invites the audience to rethink the political meanings of geography and landscape through plants and people struggling for life in an arid land.