The Most Foreign Land
The Most Foreign Land
‘The Most Foreign Land, I’ is a work in progress and it is the completed artwork. Consisting of three digital negative photographs, these chronological photos were taken as part of the creative process and were never meant to be exhibited. My personal migration history (and present) is tightly intertwined within these images. I eventually abandoned trying to compose the ‘ideal’ image envisaged in my mind. Instead, I embraced the process for what it is; imperfect but exuberant.
These images were taken on a makeshift backdrop, my bedsheets. They are out of focus, disproportionately framed and none are staged. The original print photographs were only a few among the many biometric photos I used for my multiple leave to remain permit renewals in the UK and my actors headshots I had taken during the same period. ‘The Most Foreign Land, I’ explores the multitude of identities, specifically the concept of a ‘foreign identity’ moulded by the migration process. This piece entangles the creative process with the bureaucratic, revealing the emotional topography of an arcane experience along the way. Perhaps, it’s a map of the ecologies of identity.
To see the full text, please visit Tirpan's website.
Artist Biography
Tuǧba Tirpan (born in Ankara) is a London based artist working across a range of artistic mediums including photography, video, performance and installation. Tugba's work often explores complex notions such as identity, border politics, mental health and their intersections with socio-political and economic system(s). She is the recipient of Visitor’s Choice Award at the 21st National Open Art (2017) and Art and Culture Achievement Award (2018) for community engagement at the Ceftus following two consecutive nominations.She is the chair of Balik Arts, a leading UK charity that uses film and the arts to empower and enable social change. Balik Arts was set up 21 years ago in Cambridge.
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