SEEING THE BELLY DANCE AS A FEMINIST POSSIBILITY: GAZE, GENDER AND PUBLIC SPACE IN ISTANBUL

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22456/2236-3254.110694

Abstract

This paper discusses the ancient form of belly dance as an example to speak more in depth about the public spaces of Istanbul, where the female body is constantly under surveillance by the male gaze. Over thousands of years, the ancient dance form of belly dance has been transformed from a collective women’s ritual to a form of entertainment that serves the male gaze. This paper looks for the possibilities tore-define belly dance as a feminist counter strategy to revive its essence. Framed by the Muted Group Theory, this paper also exemplifies various artworks and strategies produced by female artists and analyze them in the light of this theory. It also searches for redefining the belly dance as part of a feminist identity and asks whether these artistic strategies could be pathways in re-defining belly dance as a feminist practice.

 

Keywords

Feminism. Public Space. Belly Dance. Muted Group. Gender.

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Author Biography

Isil Egrikavuk, Berlin University of Arts (UdK)

Işıl Eğrikavuk studied Western literature at Boğaziçi University (Istanbul) then went to The School of The Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) with Koç Foundation scholarship for her MFA in Performance Art. She taught art and media at Istanbul Bilgi University between 2009-2017. Since 2017, she lives in Berlin and teaches at Universität der Künste (UdK), Media and Communication Department. She is also expecting to complete her PhD in January 2021.

Eğrikavuk is the co-winner of Turkey’s first contemporary art prize, Full Art Prize in 2012. She is also the first recipient of SPOT Production Fund’s artist grant. She has participated in numerous international exhibitions, residencies, and her work has been published in both local and international journals. She also wrote a weekly column, Güncel Sanat Kafası (High on Contemporary Art) at national newspaper Radikal for three years, where she commented on the intersection of daily news and contemporary art. 

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Published

2021-04-20

How to Cite

Egrikavuk, I. (2021). SEEING THE BELLY DANCE AS A FEMINIST POSSIBILITY: GAZE, GENDER AND PUBLIC SPACE IN ISTANBUL. Revista Cena, (33), 144–154. https://doi.org/10.22456/2236-3254.110694

Issue

No. 33 (2021): Dossiê Arte e Trauma

Section

Artigos Extradossiê

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