Betül AksuAlt Üst Soy Sorgula
Family Lineage Reversed
2024
Inkjet print on paper, pencil on paper, 30×42 cm
In Family Lineage Reversed, Betül Aksu intervenes in an official Alt Üst Soy Belgesi (Family Lineage Document) obtained through Turkey’s e-government portal. She cuts the printed document along the lines of the Turkish “First Name” and “Last Name” fields and places the trimmed paper onto a new page. There, she adds the Macedonian terms ime (first name) and prezime (surname), questioning the fixed categories of national and personal identity.
The page lists the names of her ancestors in Macedonian, but Betül’s own entry remains blank, highlighting the gaps in the official narrative of ancestry. This act of intervention aims to offer space for non-official histories and invites reflection on how bureaucratic systems shape identity.