Queer art in Turkey after 1990; resistance and opression strategies

The 90s, when contemporary art debates began in Turkey, were the years when relative freedoms were experienced, identities and differences were revealed, and civil movements were strengthened. It is possible to say that with the break in the 90s, it shaped the contemporary artists who produce in Turkey today and that contemporary artists still benefit from this heritage. Especially in the second half of the 2000s, many artists who had a queer and feminist perspective with different social dynamics and dynamics that raised a generation of artists began to be mentioned. Contemporary art works on gender have established their own language of objection, reflexes and aesthetics, while also developing appropriate exhibition models. Queer art has a perspective that includes heteronormative values, gender regime, sexuality as a problem, and in this context, criticism and discussions on notions, life practices and habits. The gender constants of men and women, which were discussed in the queer theory, which started to be discussed in the 90s, have made the binary gender regime debates the focus. Queer theory, a poststructuralist theory born as a critique of feminist theory, deals with and examines gender and sexuality within power relations. This study aims to examine the socio-cultural dynamics that pave the way for gender debates in Turkey, and to research the exhibitions, practices and contents produced in this context. Key Words:Queer, Feminism, Contemporary Art, Gender, Resistance