The Turkish artist, who lives in the Netherlands, uses a face mask against the new coronavirus, to criticize the country’s ban on the burqa and veil.
Ersem Ersil, who works as the art director of an advertising agency in Amsterdam, is protesting against the ban with the Legal Burka project, which consists of several protective surgical masks sewn together.
Speaking to Anadolu, Ersil said he had developed a banned burqa with mandatory masks, explaining that he wanted people to doubt the ban, even with a commitment to wear masks.
“This is a work of resistance, which unites the material necessary in the silhouette of the forbidden,” he said.
Ersil said he wore a statue of Themis, a symbol of justice, in a burqa of masks to point fingers at injustice and discrimination.
“Although the law prohibits the wearing of clothing and accessories that cover the face, it is a serious contradiction that they are also mandatory for masks that cover the face,” Ersil said.
Banning burqas means “racism by law,” he said, adding that the fight against racism and discrimination on a global scale is crucial.
Ersil also prepared a guide explaining how to make a burqa and a veil out of a mask.
The ban on the burqa in the Netherlands came into force in August 2019. Under the law, those who wear clothing that covers their faces in certain public places must be fined € 150 ($ 176).