Turkmenbashi, mon amour

The animation Turkmenbashi, My Love features the famous virtual character, Mouchette created by artist Martine Neddam in 1997. The scenario was inspired by a love letter addressed to Turkmenistan’s dictator, the late Saparmurat ‘Turkmenbashi’ Nyazov. Over occasional sightings of his image (statues, digital photos, monuments) in the city of Ashgabat, she comments ironically about one of the most repressive and least known dictators on Earth. Dealing with a highly sensitive topic, the adventures of Mouchette in Turkmenistan stages the meeting of two fictitious characters, one being the dictator, in order to convey actual information about a real country. (Martine Neddam)

Organisation: City of Women; In collaboration with: Škuc Gallery.