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Slavs and Tatars, Molla Nasreddin the antimodern, 2012

Chapter: Ulysses - Narration and Identity

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East of Berlin and west of the Great Wall of China
“For us, art is about disruption. It’s about surprises and transformation, and these can only happen in a space that invites contemplation and quietness. You can’t do that with the present, it’s too noisy. In a way, we’re representing an anti-modernist position; we’re asking how do we move forward by looking at the past.” Founded in Berlin in 2006 by Kasia Korczak and Payam Sharifi, the collective exhibits internationally and focuses on the cultural and historical region they describe as stretching “east of Berlin and west of the Great Wall of China,” a territory they refer to as Eurasia. Their work draws on spiritual and esoteric traditions, oral history, modern mythology, and scientific research.

Looking back at the past
One of the collective’s best-known statements is: “The future is certain. It is the past that is unpredictable.” In this sense, “anti-modern” is not intended as a rejection of technology or research, but rather as a critique of unquestioned belief in progress and of the Eurocentric perspective of Western modernity. The act of looking back therefore turns toward the legacy of colonialism and the destruction and exploitation of the environment.

The hero on the donkey
The sculpture of Molla Nasreddin riding backward on his donkey, simultaneously moving forward while looking behind, embodies this conceptual framework. The turbaned figure is a folk hero similar in spirit to trickster characters such as Till Eulenspiegel, using humor to challenge authority and reflect power structures. Nasreddin appears across multiple cultural traditions, from North Africa to the Balkans and Central Asia. Known for sharp, ethical, and philosophical humor, the character has become a kind of symbolic mascot within the collective’s work. Nasreddin appears in various guises and under various names from Morocco to Croatia, from Sudan to China. With his razor-sharp humor, which questions morality and ethics, he has retrospectively become a kind of mascot for Slavs and Tatars.

Discovery in Baku
The artist couple discovered the character a few years ago during a visit to Baku in Azerbaijan In an antique bookstore, they came across the Azerbaijani satirical magazine Molla Nasreddin), published between 1906 and 1932 and named after the legendary Sufi sage and trickster from the Middle Ages. The magazine used biting humor and realistic illustrations “reminiscent of a Caucasian Honoré Daumier, or Toulouse-Lautrec,” to criticize the hypocrisy if the Muslim clergy and the colonial policies of the United States and European nations. At the same time, it advocated for women’s rights. Through their work, Slavs and Tatars create an everyday, cartoon-like monument to their Sufi superhero, addressing younger generations who will live with the historical legacies of the past.

Audio

Note: The audio transcription is voiced by an AI.

Slavs and Tatars, Molla Nasreddin the antimodern, 2012
Fiberglass, lacquer paint, steel
© Slavs and Tatars
Written Art Collection

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