Comprising a two-channel video and immersive installation, YOUNG TURKS explores the impact of Turkish international schools in more than 100 countries around the world.
Using an intimate documentary style, Ergun shot footage during his research in Turkey, Kenya, and Indonesia, focusing on the Turkish Olympics, organized annually through the network of schools. Following the preparations of the students to participate in Turkish folklore, poetry, and song competitions, Ergun’s film also captures the final event in Turkey. This includes a fair ground with country stands, which is reminiscent of a World’s Fair in its scope and exoticism for local visitors, who are equally intrigued at seeing the international students speaking Turkish fluently.
Continuing the artist's long-term focus on communities that are not known to a greater public and the importance of ritual in such groups, Young Turks is a research project that prioritizes individual stories—via interviews conducted with students, teachers, and other members of the community—to explore how the role of education impacts both neocolonialist and intercultural dialogues.
