Sisifos miti üzerinden gündelik hayat eleştirisi

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Thesis Type: Postgraduate

Institution Of The Thesis: Hacettepe University, Güzel Sanatlar Enstitüsü, Resim A.S.D., Turkey

Approval Date: 2025

Thesis Language: Turkish

Student: UFUK ATA ÖZTÜRK

Supervisor: Zuhal Boerescu

Open Archive Collection: AVESIS Open Access Collection

Abstract:

Humanity has existed within the bounds of everyday life since its earliest days. Everyday life, though based on vital repetitions, also contains control mechanisms created by the state and capitalism to maintain order, influencing both individuals and society. Control mechanisms constructed by areas such as working hours and consumption practices add additional cycles to everyday life. Meanwhile, the ecological destruction generated by activities conducted for capital accumulation nourishes the thought of a possible catastrophe and, by hollowing out everyday life that unfolds in a perpetual cycle, turns it into a futile struggle. While artists sometimes critique the system, capitalist dominance over the art world often invalidates opposing discourses. Thus, artists continue to create within the system as part of the exploitative order. One of the myths, a product of past efforts to make sense of everyday life, is the story of Sisyphus. Punished to push a boulder to a mountain's summit, it rolls back each time, forcing him to repeat the act eternally. In this thesis, Sisyphus serves as a metaphor for contemporary hopelessness and futile effort, offering a visual entry point to perceive invisible repetitions. The information obtained from the literature review was analyzed through the works created within the scope of the research and the analysis of artists' works connected to these studies in plastic arts context. Everyday life, which was addressed from a negative perspective throughout the thesis, ultimately evolved into an alternative standpoint. Creating art is one way to interpret and cope with the challenges of everyday life. In a cycle with no exit, the only remaining action is to exist; this existence itself constitutes both critique and rebellion.