Kimilk

Kimlik, “identity” in Turkish, explores the delicate balance, and at times straining contradiction, between shame and pride in one’s cultural identity.

Under layers of Turkish textiles is a Turkish-born man; what can be deduced about this man’s identity must first be filtered through the cloth. Thus, the man’s identity and this emblamatic object of Turkish culture are conflated; we can only see what is allowed to pass through.

This shoot is an exploration of the complex feelings evoked in Muslim men as they cope with stereotyped representations projected onto them. Both shame and pride work simultaneously. Kaan Dönbekci ‘20, photographed here, says, “In America, I identify as ‘culturally’ Muslim. It’s difficult for me…I realize I qualify ‘Muslim’ with ‘culturally’ to resolve the conflict between being very proud of my Muslim identity and the plain fact that identifying as Muslim makes people look at me differently here. It’s very difficult for me.”

One must also consider the identity of the textiles. The places where these beautiful textiles originate and the stories behind their creation cannot be divorced from the fabric—these stories are deeply intertwined, stitched into, and inseparable from the cloth. Westerners cannot extract the cultures, conflicts, and narratives associated with these textiles by transforming them into exoticized outfits for European socialites: we must also engage with the identity of the fabric

Photographed by Tyler Su

Modeled by Kaan Dönbekci