Art Taaalkssss: Saadet Türköz

Saadet Türköz is a singer, vocalist, and performance artist. Due to the Chinese government's repression of the Kazakh and Uyghur populations in East Turkestan, Saadet's parents were forced to flee to Istanbul in the late 1930s after spending time in India and Pakistan, where she was raised after being born in Istanbul in 1961. When she was 19, she followed her sister to Switzerland, where she has lived ever since. 
 
In her music, which could be described as a revisitation of “folklore imaginaire,” Türköz combines traditional Asian sounds, particularly from Central Asia, with contemporary influences. However, she is not associated with a particular musical style. Rather, she sings out of an inner necessity, letting her thoughts flow vocally with physical expression—touching the invisible, idolizing the mundane, mourning losses, hoping for spring flowers... In her narrative musical communication, she seeks the challenge of unknown zones, but also the beauty of the sounds of human existence. 
 
During this Art Taaalkssss session, Türköz will guide us through her diverse cultural influences and references and reflect on how they are kept alive and actualized through her music and current interests.