Checkpoints, 2024
90 x 60 cm
Sculpture

"Checkpoints" is a sculptural installation comprising a collection of documents crumpled, fragmented, and suspended as a physical manifestation of bureaucratic control experienced during the refugee crisis in 2016. These papers were obtained through various European border checkpoints, where personal identity was reduced to a series of stamped pages, signatures, and official markings.

The work explores the tension between the material fragility of paper and the psychological weight of bureaucracy. The crumpled surfaces signify both resilience and violence—how systems of surveillance and control compress individuals' experiences into dehumanizing formalities. Shadows cast by the irregular folds intensify the visual depth, symbolizing the obscured humanity and disrupted journeys underlying these documents.

This piece is a continuation of my ongoing inquiry into the "Valence of Documents," where I investigate the emotional and political power of papers encountered during my smuggling journey from Turkey to Sweden. Through its sculptural form, "Checkpoints" recontextualizes these documents as both artifacts of survival and tools of systemic oppression, challenging the viewer to consider the unseen toll of administrative borders.