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To Read Nil Yalter’s life

The files for the archive project ARK are nearly all gathered. What’s next?


While several steps remain, it feels like we’ve reached a decisive milestone in its creation (though I think I say this at the start of every post! Lol!). It is now time to go further: to contextualize and breathe life into these materials by connecting them to Nil’s personal and artistic journey. How did a particular work come to her mind? What inspired her? At the time of its creation, where was Nil in her personal trajectory? Who were the influential figures in her life? These are the kinds of questions—and answers—that, in my view, will bring the archive to life and, above all, imbue it with meaning.


Before embarking on semi-structured interviews with Nil to explore these questions, I decided to delve into her life through a wealth of existing literature. Numerous books and articles have been published about her career over the years (I have a whole bibliography I could share with you one day), offering a valuable entry point for me to “immerse” myself, as an external observer, in her world and provide precious context to the archive.


My methodology is fundamentally straightforward: armed with highlighters, I annotate as I read, enriching and organizing my database along the way. Naturally, the information I choose to add reflects a purely subjective decision-making process. I constantly ask myself: Is this detail relevant and helpful for understanding Nil’s work as a whole? If the answer is yes, it earns a place in the database.


The past two weeks have been dedicated to reading three key publications: Nil Yalter: À la confluence des mémoires migrantes, féministes, ouvrières et des mythologies (2019) by Fabienne Dumont, Entretien avec Fabienne Dumont: Nil Yalter (2019), also by Dumont, and Nil Yalter: Circular Tension (2024) by Omar Kholeif.


My notes reading Entretien avec Fabienne Dumont: Nil Yalter by Fabienne Dumont (2019)

I have known Nil Yalter since December 2023. However, we have rarely had the chance to dive deep discussing her life, as our focus has primarily been on the technical and methodological aspects of the project. While I have occasionally asked her about her background, friends, and family, these exchanges have naturally been fragmented. Reading these monographs about her feels, therefore, somewhat strange—almost as if I were a spy, uncovering parts of her life she had never shared with me. There is an odd, imagined sense of one-sided intimacy in this process.


Nearly a year into this project, one might think I’m “behind,” that I should have tackled these readings long ago—perhaps even before starting. Yet, I feel at peace with having waited until now. For one, I believe this timing allowed my relationship with Nil to develop more organically, starting on equal footing, as neither of us knew much about the other personally at the outset.


Having known Nil since December has added a layer of depth to my reading. So much of what I encounter now resonates more clearly—her travels, encounters, exhibitions, and projects all come into sharper focus. Each text feels richer, as I approach it with a perspective already shaped by my interactions with her, allowing me to learn even more about her work. I recall one evening when I read until 3 a.m., vivid images filling my mind. As I was reading, I was revisiting all the digital archives gathered during all of those months, (re)discovering the files with a fresh—or rather, enriched—perspective.


Cover of Nil Yalter: Circular Tension by Omar Kholeif (2024)

Of all the reading I did, Nil’s interview with Fabienne Dumont stands out as particularly impactful. I could hear Nil’s voice through the text, recognizing her sarcastic replies, her bluntness, and her somewhat nonchalant, sometimes disarming demeanor. When the critical publication is eventually published, this is precisely my goal (as I’ve mentioned in earlier blog posts): I want readers to hear Nil as they read.


Cover of Entretien avec Fabienne Dumont: Nil Yalter by Fabienne Dumont (2019) published by AWARE (Archives of Women Artists, Research & Exhibitions)

One section of the interview focuses on Topak Ev (1973) and the genesis of the work. How did Nil transition from years of abstract canvas painting to creating this installation ? She herself seems unsure. But through this conversation, I learned interesting details about the trip she and her friend Mythia Kolesar did to Anatolia to meet the nomadic communities that inspired Topak Ev. Guided by the instructions of anthropologist Bernard Dupaigne, also a friend of Nil’s, Nil and Mythia spent time living with these communities, especially the women, learning to build the tents. Nil even mentioned that part of the trip was filmed using Mythia’s Super 8 camera - where are these films now?!


Anyhow, this dialogue between Fabienne Dumont and Nil Yalter felt like a gentle journey through time and space. It was as though I accompanied them: starting in Cairo, moving on to Istanbul, crossing into India, returning to Istanbul, and settling in Paris. They spoke of constructivist painting, sociocritical works, May 1968, feminist discussion groups, critical receptions, creative methods, and the realities of the Paris art world in the 1970s and 1980s, alongside reflections on health and technology.


Cover of Nil Yalter: À la confluence des mémoires migrantes, féministes, ouvrières et des mythologies by Fabienne Dumont (2019)

These readings mark only the beginning. By cross-referencing them with future interviews with Nil, I hope to build an archive that captures not only her voice but also the echoes of her encounters, inspirations, and life journey. A living archive, worthy of her work.

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