Nazim Ünal Yilmaz: Among Friends

A cheerful picnic: men together, out in nature, relaxed and carefree. The colors are exuberant, the bodies intertwined. Yet as the gaze lingers, the scene begins to unravel. One is on all fours, another has his hands tied. The same face appears again and again—familiar, iconic, almost suspiciously familiar. Elvis is tickling my feet. The line between laughter and scream blurs. He’s supposedly playing guitar with my feet.

This old buddy used to hang out in Black churches listening to gospel; he soaked up the sounds around Beale Street in Memphis. A generous portion of his repertoire consisted of polished reworkings of songs by Black artists. Meanwhile, in 1950s America—while racial segregation was still firmly in place—he conveniently found himself welcomed onto radio and television platforms that were inaccessible to Black performers.

The title “Among Friends” is ironic. Is this really a friendly picnic, or just another setting where hierarchy politely lays out its blanket? I held the tickling gesture right on the thin line between joke and domination. A boundary crossed in the name of fun, superiority disguised as intimacy. Even within “friendship,” power—classed, racialized, colonial—knows exactly where to sit.

Nazım Ünal Yılmaz (1981, Trabzon) is an artist based in Vienna. Selected solo and group exhibitions include: Galerist Istanbul (2025); GMR, Venice (2024); Belvedere21, Vienna (2023); Harkawik, New York (2023); Magenta Plain, New York (2021); Tallinn Art Hall (2020); Kunstraum D21, Leipzig (2018); PSM Galerie, Berlin (2018); Arp Museum, Remagen (2015); Frankfurter Kunstverein (2012); Ve.Sch, Vienna (2011); Depo, Istanbul (2011); Kunstforum BACA, Vienna (2007); Kunsthalle Krems (2007); Ernst Barlach Museum, Hamburg (2009); Ausstellungshalle, Frankfurt (2008); Forum Stadtpark, Graz (2008); Galerie Kunstbüro, Vienna (2007).

The exhibition will be accomplished by a catalogue supported by SAHA Association.