Aslier, Mustafa

In Exile, the lyrics of a folk song intercede between a father and his nursing wife and his small children, who are seated under a glowering, upside-down visage. Evoking the homesickness and alienation that often accompany migration from the country to the city, Aslier leaves the figures indistinct, with little hint of traditional dress, and the background empty. Both the mother’s concerned look and the father’s somber face—along with the knife on the ground in front of him—hint at the possibility of a dark fate.