"Lalo's Story" by Fikret Atay

In Lalo’s Story, Atay transports us into the living room of a Kurdish family, where his friend, a dengbêj, recites a traditional song for the artist’s grandfather. Dengbêj, a term that dates back to pre-Islamic times, refers to a Kurdish musician with a memory of folklorist stories and regional myths, who deals with themes of love and war through both song and speech. Normally a member of the older generation who sings to the young, Atay’s video shows a rupture in the long-established custom. The role between elder and young are switched, and the dialogue shifts between Kurdish and English. Atay lives and works in Batman, Turkey, a place where, according to the artist, it is “practically impossible to make art.” Even in this remote, repressive, and unforgiving location, video technology and distribution allow Atay’s story to reach across the globe.