The Sound of Hair Pulling
Performance and Installation
Letters, 78 pieces of A5 Papers 2021 © Kavachi
Photo by Anya Marchenkova
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The Sound of Hair Pulling​ is a performance based Kavachi's personal experience with the Turkish army. In Turkey, military service is obligatory, unless there is a health-related issue that grants with an exemption, of them — non-traditional sexual orientation. When the artist was conscripted to the army, since he did not want to be a soldier, he decided to inform the competent authority of being gay in order to get a so-called “pink certificate”. This required an examination by military doctors and psychologists, which turned out to be a ridiculous drama and a humiliating experience. An absurd phrase of the doctors: “You have hair on your arms, so you can’t be gay!” provided a motif for this piece.

During the performance, the artist sits at a table, pulling out hairs from the arm and composing a letter by glueing them to an A5 paper. The process continues until the author finishes the sentence: „I don't want to be a soldier not because I am a furry* but because I don't want to point a gun at anyone“.

*A furry is a subcultural character covered with hair, represents different sexual orientations.

​Text from the Exhibition the 6th Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art Yekaterinburg, Russia, 2021

The project is supported by SAHA Association at the 6th Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art Yekaterinburg, Russia, 2021