Hayalet: My Name is Casper

"My Name Is Casper" was a large-scale exhibition held in Istanbul in October 2009, exploring the critical potential of art, the possibilities of collective production, and the position of the artist in relation to dominant economic and institutional structures. Emerging from a series of discussions, lectures, and workshops organised within Karşı Sanat Çalışmaları, the exhibition brought together artists from different generations, disciplines, and artistic backgrounds on a shared critical platform.

The exhibition's title referred to the opening line of Marx and Engels' "Communist Manifesto" — "A spectre is haunting Europe" — while reconsidering the historical transformation of this spectre through Casper, the friendly ghost of popular culture. One of the exhibition's central conceptual concerns was how revolutionary thought, once perceived as a threat to the established order, could be neutralised and transformed into a harmless image within contemporary capitalism.

Against the backdrop of the social and political climate following the 2008 global financial crisis, "My Name Is Casper" questioned the position of art in relation to market forces, institutional hierarchies, and the increasing absorption of oppositional discourse into the very systems it sought to challenge. The exhibition aimed not only to produce critical content but also to examine the conditions under which art is produced and exhibited. In this respect, it adopted an alternative exhibition model that emphasised dialogue, solidarity, and horizontal organisation rather than centralised curatorial authority.

Bringing together 97 independent artists and 18 artist groups, with a total of 265 participating artists, the exhibition occupied all five floors of the historic Sümerbank building on Bankalar Street in Karaköy, as well as its underground boiler room and former vaults. The building's historical and architectural character provided a multilayered exhibition space in which diverse forms of artistic expression could coexist.

Djochkoun Sami participated in the exhibition as a member of "Fosfour", an artist group formed together with Caner Karakaş, Huri Kiriş, and Şevket Sönmez. The group's participation reflected the exhibition's pluralistic and collaborative approach, bringing different artistic practices together within a collective framework.

"My Name Is Casper" was presented alongside two parallel exhibitions, "Hayalet" ("Ghost") and "Öznesiz" ("Without a Subject"), under the broader initiative "Alternative Platform: Great Art Gathering / Exhibition of Initiatives". This gathering sought to establish art not merely as a field of aesthetic production, but also as a space for critical reflection, collective organisation, and the creation of alternative public spheres.

The exhibition can be regarded as a significant experiment in the development and visibility of independent art initiatives and collective artistic practices in Turkey, reflecting the broader concerns and transformations of the country's contemporary art scene at the time.