The online panel titled “Creative methods for a new discourse (3): Picturing refugees,” which took place within the scope of the project Towards a New Discourse and Dialogue, was held at 18:00 on Friday, 13 November 2020. Under the moderation of academician Gamze Toksoy, with photographers Kalpesh Lathigra and Serbest Salih, we talked about victimization and silencing of refugees in hegemonic visual narratives and alternative methods for breaking it.
Academician Gamze Toksoy started her speech by addressing the stereotypical images of refugees that are widely circulated through the media. She stated that these images put refugees in the position of helpless masses and that they anonymize and desubjectify the actors. She added that the visual production possibilities that invite the audience to hold responsibility and give the refugees a space beyond the sense of pity and charity should be questioned. In this sense, she stated that the projects of Kalpesh Lathigra and Serbest Salih constitute an alternative for the representation of refugees within the dominant vision regime.
Photographer Kalpesh Lathigra started his speech by conveying his understanding of photography that has evolved over the years. After a photograph he saw during the Kosovo War, he stated that his desire to make a difference and to win a prize, that is, his ego as a photographer, has transformed and this situation prompted him to seek alternative representations of refugees. He continued his speech by explaining the difficulties and contradictions he encountered in his approach and how he overcame them.
The speech of the photographer of the Sirkhane Darkroom project, Serbest Salih, which started with his critique of dominant approaches to the representation of refugees, was interrupted due to technical problems. Gamze Toksoy stated that the Darkroom project, which offers refugee children the opportunity to show the creative parts of their lives, is remarkable in terms of breaking the framework of the dominant visual field.
Video in English
