Traces of the past: An examination of themes of belonging and counter memory in contemporary artworks

The research is based on Bauman's theory of 'identity' shaped by belonging and consists of a conceptual framework around the themes of memory/counter-memory, space and belonging. Memory, which plays an active role in the formation of an individual's identity, is defined as the ability to preserve the past and is a binding element in the relationship established between space and identity. The individual utilizes both his/her own memory and the memory of the space while constructing a belonging in his/her communication with the space. Cities embody the memory control of power over societies through spaces and appear as the most visible forms of memory domination. Counter-memory, on the other hand, emerges at the point where the memory that occurs at the intersection of the social and the personal coincides with a top-down practice of remembering, and constitutes a major obstacle to the formation of a collective memory and the development of a sense of belonging to society. The perspective of the research is formed by considering the 'other' in contrast to the official memory, which creates a form of forgetting by creating a polarized memory through ideological uniformization and covering up events that seem unnecessary and/or worthless when viewed from the present. The theoretical texts in the research were accompanied by examples from contemporary artworks and artistic forms of expression were discussed. The deep-rooted relationship between art and memory appears in the museum and collection as well as between the artist and production, and constitutes the extension of power structures in art in the research. The power mechanism in accumulation, collection or archive creation is discussed on a theoretical ground with Derrida's text Archive Fever, and the beyond the invisible is thus opened to discussion. Forms of representation are rethought on the axis of concepts such as emptiness and absence, and the role of art in showing the invisible and creating a new space of encounter is reconsidered. In the course of the research, the theoretical and conceptual structure shed light on personal productions and led to the search for a new language in forms of representation.