An exhibition exploring Turkey’s recent past through social movements and elements of popular culture that emerged after the coup d’etat on
September 12, 1980. “How did we get here” will open at both SAL T Beyoğlu and SAL T Galata on September 3. The exhibition will continue until
November 29th.
How did we get here, the first of SALT’s projects on the 1980s, delves into the recent past of Turkey starting from 1980, a period that introduced free
market economy under military rule. The exhibition gives an account of the decade, with an emphasis on İstanbul, through archival materials including
magazines, advertisements, photographs, video recordings and films. Works in the exhibition by Halil Altındere, Serdar Ateşer, Aslı Çavuşoğlu, Barış
Doğrusöz, Ayşe Erkmen, Esra Ersen, and Hale Tenger, which deal with the political and cultural climate of the 1980s, contribute to a broader understanding
of the social dynamics of this period.
To restore stability to the economy, on January 24, 1980, the government initiated a major program that marked Turkey’s transition to a free market
system. An outcome of this decision, saw Turkey’s longstanding import substitution economic policies replaced with an export-led growth economy.
Soon after, the September 12, 1980 coup d’etat suppressed all dissent and political opposition; rising state violence peaked so extremely it resulted in
a termination of human rights. The 1982 Constitution, which was ratified by a referendum under grave pressure from the military regime, remains in
place today with few amendments.
Neoliberal policies after the 1982 Constitution became the principals of the first civilian government Anavatan Partisi [Motherland Party] (ANAP) that
came to power after the coup d’etat. During its time in power, as majority in the government from 1983 to 1991, the ANAP supported a consumption
oriented society; while the military regime kept blocking all oppositional movements and political organizations. Throughout the 1980s, the government,
in collusion with the military, promised prosperity and liberation; while adhering to an authoritarian regime in social and political life.
After the quashing of trade unions and other political organizations by the military intervention and the 1982
Constitution, different forms of civil opposition and representation began to emerge in the first half of the 1980s.
As the decade came to a close, civil society took an active role in democratization and began to challenge the
status quo. People who lacked political representation, such as feminists, environmentalists, anti-militarists, gay
rights activists, human rights defenders and many others, came together to form alternative groups, as everyday
life became a battleground for politics. This solidarity, centered around democratic rights and demands for freedom,
paved the way for new social organizations to emerge.
How did we get here intends to map this struggle and help trace the origins of the current context of Turkey at
this turning point, both in relation to the recent past and through the social movements and elements of popular
culture that took hold after the 1980 coup d’etat.
This exhibition is part of the five-year program The Uses of Art – the Legacy of 1848 and 1989, organized by
L’Internationale.
