COASTLINE(S) WANING
all for a few extra sunbeds

In a place where “law and regulation" are contested terms, I feel that my well-being isn't doing so well. I used to believe that what I read in my 3rd-grade science book was known by every adult and that they lived by these obvious things. Well, apparently not. Growing up in an environment where everyday life is continuously challenged by a maze of borders, with constant threat of tension and occupation, becoming a political artist was not really a decision. The things I create are reactions to the situations I'm in. They speak about the spaces we live in, memories we hold on to and the absence of our rights. They emerge from the need for collective healing.

The location I've chosen for this residency is Trikomo - Yeni İskele, where my childhood home was situated. It is an area that is getting a lot of attention lately for issues related to selling land to foreigners en masse, money laundering and corruption. I consider myself fortunate to have collected memories of the area, filled with magnificent birds and wildflowers, despite facing challenges like having to report hunters in forbidden zones and witnessing the human traffic in the "nightclub" next to my door. Ironically, those times now appear to be our better days.

I recall from 20 years ago a scientist admiring a flower with a magnifying glass. Unfortunately, today, those same flowers are being destroyed, and this unfortunate reality is unfolding across every corner of the island. The coastal areas and the natural environment in Cyprus overall is subject to unprecedented destruction over the last two decades. While it is hard to say that the islanders had seamless ecological consciousness in the past, the scale of what’s happening today appears to be unstoppable and irreversible, lacking any provisional studies of risk or necessary infrastructure beneath the towering skyscrapers. Nowadays, the predominant scene is resembling a dystopic simulation of a Sim City game, a playground marked by a noticeable absence of care for or awareness of the complexity of life in general.

In the pursuit of rapid profit, seemingly flawless advertisements may portray pristine seas, yet they shield a harsh reality: Birds will avoid visiting the 19th-floor apartment balcony; bees won't pollinate the well-mowed green grass, and the water won't be sufficient for those swimming pools. Fish won't survive the pollution leaking into the sea. The behaviors and natural habitats of all species are undergoing alarming changes, and unfortunately, these crucial lessons are absent from our primary school education.

The series I've created serves as a portrayal of the unfolding reality, drawing from a collective memory rooted in ecological consciousness. It reflects on and frames the experiences of Cyprus' coastlines that we witness on a daily basis.