The State of Ata, 2010

Mike Mandel & Chantal Zakari
hardcover, offset press
 
Between 1997 and 2009, Mike an American, and Chantal Turkish, have employed the imagery of Atatürk to create a portrait of all sides of the body politic: the symbol of the secular revolutionary hero, the power of the state that resides with the military, and in opposition, the demands for renewed religious political expression symbolized by the Islamist scarf. 
The State of Ata weaves together the artists’ photographs of Turkish society, the public imagery and sculptural presence of Atatürk, documentation of their own interventions and performances, interviews, and a collection of archival and popular imagery. The book is conceived as a collection of books within books: a photo book, a school book, a diary, a fantasy album of military portraits.
 
Please visit the project page for The State of Ata for more information, additional photographs, exhibition history and reviews.
Let us know if you want the book to be signed.