KARAGÖZA
Karagözα is my drag king persona that originates from the traditional shadow play character Karagöz (Turkish) / Karagkiozis (Greek). Karagöz is a puppet, a folklore figure and the main character in the shadow play theater ‘Karagöz and Hacivat’. The play prevails in the Middle East through different adaptations such as ‘O Karagkiozis’ (Greek), ‘Karakoz and Eiwaz’ (Syria) or ‘Aragouz’ (Egypt) - Due to my Cypriot roots, there is a research focus on the Turkish and Greek adaptations as an effort to explore regional relations through folklore.
Born and spreaded in the 16th centry during Ottoman Empire, Karagoz’s shadow play roots in socio-political satire surrounding topics like class and society, wealth and politics with a lot of geo-specific references. Originally, his popular appeal was his scatological language and protruding phallus. Initially, it acted as a means of socio-political conversation from the puppeteer through the performative and satirical existence of Karagöz, the puppet.
Drag is another form of authorship. Karagözα takes Karagozis’ audacity, wittiness, rustic temper, urgency of “now”, dark and hairy features, combines them with bizarre layers of queer audacity and dark humour to share their own authorship and reflection of the present. Karagözα is a modern day jester, a long term research, a means of creative, personal and political expression. They apprear in conscious spaces and in different forms.
Karagözα is my drag king persona that originates from the traditional shadow play character Karagöz (Turkish) / Karagkiozis (Greek). Karagöz is a puppet, a folklore figure and the main character in the shadow play theater ‘Karagöz and Hacivat’. The play prevails in the Middle East through different adaptations such as ‘O Karagkiozis’ (Greek), ‘Karakoz and Eiwaz’ (Syria) or ‘Aragouz’ (Egypt) - Due to my Cypriot roots, there is a research focus on the Turkish and Greek adaptations as an effort to explore regional relations through folklore.
Born and spreaded in the 16th centry during Ottoman Empire, Karagoz’s shadow play roots in socio-political satire surrounding topics like class and society, wealth and politics with a lot of geo-specific references. Originally, his popular appeal was his scatological language and protruding phallus. Initially, it acted as a means of socio-political conversation from the puppeteer through the performative and satirical existence of Karagöz, the puppet.
Drag is another form of authorship. Karagözα takes Karagozis’ audacity, wittiness, rustic temper, urgency of “now”, dark and hairy features, combines them with bizarre layers of queer audacity and dark humour to share their own authorship and reflection of the present. Karagözα is a modern day jester, a long term research, a means of creative, personal and political expression. They apprear in conscious spaces and in different forms.