Turkmenbashi, mon amour

The animation "Turkmenbashi, mon amour" features the famous virtual character Mouchette created by Franco-Dutch artist Martine Neddam in 1997. The scenario was inspired by a love letter addressed to Turkmenistan’s dictator, the late Saparmyrat ‘Turkmenbashi’ Nyýazow. Over occasional sightings of his image (statues, digital photos, monuments) in the city of Achgabat, she comments, ironically, about one of the most repressive and least known dictator on Earth. Dealing with a highly sensitive topic, the adventures of Mouchette in Turkmenistan stages the meeting of two fictitious characters, one being the dictator, in order to convey actual information about a real country. The work was exhibited first in the Montreal Biennale 2011.