Burhan Dogançay

Doğançay’s long term project focused on the texture of New York City’s walls. He made Yankees and Beatles in the year in which the Liverpool band’s sell-out concerts conquered the United States. The Beatles’s sudden popularity found expression on the streets of the city. This confirmed Doğançay’s view that: ‘You can tell more about a country by observing its walls than … by looking at its flag.’ Using a variety of collage techniques for Happy New Year and Hum, he captured the texture of graffitied and fly-posted surfaces. On these surfaces and walls, official messages were often subverted by anonymous comments.