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the public works, where I have used Turkish or Arabic languages, with the abstract
drawings Sigmund Freud was using in his therap. The abstract communication with
the viewer who does not understand the used language, speak to the material
which is already stored in the receiver. Some reactions have been that racist people
were sure that it was a racist work, — "he is making fun of the foreigners". And some
anti-racist people have been sure that the intention was anti-racist — "can you please
come to our university and put up your work as a campaign against the nazi
skinheads". Of course I am aware of the danger of misunderstanding these works, but
due to the intentions behind the works, I will take the same position as Freud: "It is ok
that you see a hairy monster eating a little girl since this is not a conclusion or an
end point, but a part of process where we progress as human beings by looking at
what we contain." I am also interested in the language as a power tool, because
when I have been putting up works using language only understandable by minorities
in the given context, the street becomes more dominated by the culture using the
used language. Oslo became more Turkish because of the work "Turkish Jokes"
1994, Geneva became more Arabic because of the work "Arabic Joke" 2002.
HHP: Your work is increasingly dealing with global economy and migration as a new
reality. By "minimal" interventions such as exchanging lighting systems between
Western and "third world" cities. Or like in your new project in Korea, to exchange
water from the south and the north, you are trying to evoke debates on the most
urgent questions of globalisation. Can you elaborate this issue?
JHC: As I said just now, I am basically just talking about the issues that I am
concerned with. They happen to be very urgent questions in the debate concerning
globalisation. In fact they are urgent enough in the Western Society to even enter
the art-field.
Back in 1994 when I did the first works related to the aspects of multiculturalism
and immigration, I had the feeling that many people were introduced to issues
they had not given many thoughts. Now, nine years later, I find myself in the eye
of a general discussion, but this doesn’t really change my motivation: I am still
not really interested in approaching questions just because they are urgent. The
fact that some of the topics I am dealing with in my work have become very present
in society and in the art world, gives me double feelings. It is a good thing because
I get attention. On the other hand, I really dislike the feeling of belonging.
Somehow I prefer to be beside, behind or even ahead of things, rather than being
part of them. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day I would develop what I am doing
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HHP
P.145