Michael Dickinson (artist)

Welcome to the Website of Artist Michael Dickinson

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Michael Dickinson (born 1950, Durham) is a British artist known for his work in Turkey, who works with political and satirical collages. In 2008, he was prosecuted for a collage of Turkish prime ministers, but was released. He is also a member of the international art movement Stuckism.

Video Michael Dickinson (artist)

Live and work

Michael Dickinson was born in Durham, England, and spent most of his early years in Kuwait, where his father was an employee of the Kuwait Oil Company and where he attended Anglo-American School. He then attended Fyling Hall school in Yorkshire. He lives and works as an English teacher in Istanbul. He is the founder of the Istanbul branch of the Stuckist art movement, and also a writer, playwright and actor.

Collage is forbidden by Tripod

In May 2005, Dickinson's website, "The Carnival of Chaos", was blanked and he was notified by Tripod host (member of Lycos group), "You are no longer a legitimate member of Tripod You have been removed because your website violates our Terms of Service. "This came after he posted a collage, , showing President Bush in his underwear with cruise missiles coming out from behind him and a swastika in his right ass.

The collage is a response to a photo that appears with the headline "Tyrant's in his pants" on the front page of the British tabloid newspaper The Sun, which shows Saddam Hussein prisoner in his pants.

Turkish Court

In June 2006, Istanbul police removed a collage of Dickinson from a city show hosted by the Global Peace and Justice Coalition. Dickinson stated that he hung his work at an event unknown to the organizers. The collage shows Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdo? An as a dog presented with a rosette by President Bush in a pet show. He was told by Turkish authorities that he would be prosecuted for "insulting the dignity of the Prime Minister"; The fee carries a sentence of one to three years.

The Times said: "This case can greatly embarrass Turkey and the UK, as it raises questions about Turkey's human rights record for seeking EU membership, with the support of Tony Blair." Charles Thomson, founder of the Stuckist movement, wrote a letter to British Prime Minister Tony Blair asking for intervention: "It is intolerable that a country that proposes EU membership should censor political freedom of comment in this way.I believe you will communicate the strongest criticism and request that this case I immediately ask for your assurance that you will oppose Turkey's EU membership in the strongest terms, until Turkey adopts a civilized world stance on human rights. "Dickinson said:" It's like Alice in Wonderland's feelings. This law is in Turkey about "Christianity" or an offensive State You are not allowed to express your opinion. "

In September 2006, Dickinson attended the Erkan Kara trial, the organizer of the event Global Peace and Justice Coalition, charged with derogatory behavior for exhibiting Dickinson's work. The prosecutor described Dickinson as "malicious," but refused to take the case because of "lack of evidence". Hasan Gungor of the Istanbul-based group, Initiative for Freedom of Speech, attributes this to the fear of international news, as the EU is worried about freedom of speech in Turkey.

Members of the Global Peace and Justis Coalition were denounced with Dickinson to divert attention from the cause of their anti-Iraq War, and he then picked up another collage that showed Erdogan as a dog by leading the stars and stripes; he was arrested and accused of insulting the dignity of the Turkish prime minister with a trial date scheduled for October 2007. He was then detained for ten days, three in jail and seven at the Detention Center for Strangers. During the transfer between the facilities, he attempted to flee, but was shot by a policeman, who seized him again.

In July 2007, a Dickinson collage was featured at A Gallery, London, in a Stuckist show. I will not have sex with you during We Married.

On September 25, 2008, he was released from any crime, the judge ruled that although there were "some insulting elements" in his collections, it fell "within the limits of criticism". The case has profound implications for Turkey's relationship with the European Union, which calls for the improvement of its human rights record. Dickinson said, "I was lucky to be released, there are artists in Turkey who face lawsuits and are punished for their opinions."

In June 2009, Dickinson fled from Turkey to his home country, England, after learning that his release had been canceled. Unable to find a job, he returned to Istanbul shortly thereafter. In January 2010, a Turkish court punished Dickinson for ridiculing the Turkish prime minister and picking up fines. Refusing to pay fines as a matter of principle, Dickinson faces two years in prison. His final punishment will be in court on March 9, 2010.

Dickinson's appeal for a residence permit was denied because of his belief in 2010, but he remains in the country after the expiration of his tourist visa. He was arrested in October 2013 for shouting Gezi Park-linked slogans in the police department, and detained after an expiration visa was found. He was deported after a few days (and was banned back for five years), choosing to go to Barcelona rather than his native England.