Camouflage With his performance Camouflage, Turkish artist Eşref Yıldırım takes up Joseph Beuys’ idea that genuine dialogue is possible not only between humans, but also between humans and animals. Beuys saw an organic connection between humanity and nature – a relationship that has increasingly been lost in the modern age. Yıldırım was deeply impressed by Beuys’ legendary action I Like America and America Likes Me (1974), in which Beuys spent several days in a gallery space with a wild coyote. The tentative rapprochement between man and animal in this performance reminded Yıldırım of the intense relationship with his deceased dog Yağmur. Thid death coincided with the debate about a new animal protection law in Turkey – a personal loss that was combined with social relevance. In contrast to Beuys, however, Yıldırım does not seek the controlled space of the gallery, but rather encounters in the natural habitat of the animals. Camouflage, realised in the outdoor space of Museum Schloss Moyland, is an attempt to cautiously approach the local ecosystem. Yıldırım covers his body with aquatic plants, which are favoured by the animals living there, and moves silently through the landscape – observing, listening, present. With this gesture, Yıldırım questions the prevailing anthropocentric perspective. In a world where animals are often subordinated, exploited or killed, Camouflage reverses the roles: Humans take a back seat and animals take centre stage. The artist invites us to a new kind of togetherness – mindful, equal and at eye level.
Photos: Kristen Becken
