İbrahim Ayhan

The human body, besides being a biological image, is a socially and culturally constructed space. So much

so, that it is possible to read aspects like one’s age or culture through the body like a text. These texts em-

body meanings that reflect the structure of complex social relations.

Throughout history, individuals have resorted to conveying a message through the body in order to express

themselves, to share their journey with others, to reinforce belonging, to display acts of harmony or resis-

tance, to create an identity and to emphasize individuality.

As social creatures, humans primarily engage in bodily communication upon arrival to this planet. Being a

mirror of social life the human body can also become a tool for rebellion with one’s intervention. Ruled by

one’s self, the body is a free space, acting as a means of communication between the individual and other

individuals, society and even the system.

Deq is an ancient tattoo tradition applied to various parts of the body by Southeastern women and is be-

lieved to represent beauty, fertility, nobility and hope, although the process of application is very painful. It

is performed by engraving patterns on the lower surface of the skin with the help of a needle, using a special

mixture obtained by mixing the gas lamp fume and breast milk.

These engraved motifs carry abstract meanings and represent a message system or an identity. Deqs, often

representing nobility, virtue or a sense of belonging, are generally applied to look beautiful, to be admired

by men, to be ready for marriage, to bring luck, to bear children, to be protected from the evil eye, to pre-

vent sicknesses, and to have a long life.

At first glance, Deqs may not mean anything to you. Just as there is a need to understand an artwork while

standing in front of it, Deqs also want azto be seen with a similar eye. As you read them, you realize they

are the outside reflection an inner world. Thus, the skin remains the border between the inner and the outer

world. Deqs are like personal letters written to other people, they want to tell their stories.

Examining the cultural depths of the geography he lives in, İbrahim Ayhan is an artist who, in Mardin, espe-

cially seeks the traces of a memory which infiltrates the body. He aspires to convey the essence of these

ancient images on female bodies by digging through past secrets transferred onto the body. Ayhan reminds

us of the laments and the secrets of women that flow from their souls to their bodies.

Mardin Deqs are processed by opening wounds on the skin with the help of a needle, with a matte paint

obtained from the breast milk of a mother who has just given birth to a baby girl, fume and animal bile. This

technique brings monochrome patterns to life by placing them on colorful backgrounds. İbrahim Ayhan’s

works allow the viewer to experience these tattoos and carry them out of the gallery space, out to the

streets of Mardin, and even beyond the physical boundaries to the heart of the viewer.

Deq figures, interrupt the silence of the women of the region and grant them a new language. Not favored

by contemporary women, Deq is facing oblivion, yet still tries to maintain its eternal influence through its

particular significance, present on the chins, foreheads, temples, breasts and legs of old women.