A Strike Back at the Empire

The harems of the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire were large and densely populated: in Istanbul’s Topkapi palace, the harem stretches out over more than 400 rooms, and during the reign of Abdul Hamid II, housed more than 1000 of the sultan’s wives, servants and personal pleasure slaves. For Turkish artist Inci Eviner, this is a far from acceptable image, and in her latest film work —based on 19th century engravings of the court of Selim III—she has reversed the passive, sexual roles of the harem’s women, re-imagining them as active participants in repetitive day-to-day actions. Harem is on show at London’s Whitechapel gallery from October 16.