Salih Kiliç

Inspired by Pete Souza, the photographer who followed Barack Obama during his presidency, photographer Salih Kiliç focused his camera on Rotterdam mayor Aboutaleb for two years. He followed this influential administrator from 2018 until the outbreak of the corona pandemic during all his daily activities. With more than thirty photos, the exhibition Aboutaleb: mayor/mayor father in the Kunsthal provides a multifaceted and intimate insight into the working life of one of the longest-serving mayors in the Netherlands.

From early morning until late at night, on the street, in the council chamber and at many meetings and events in front of and behind the scenes; Kiliç is allowed to be there for two years. In addition to public and festive moments, including the starting shot of the Marathon Rotterdam and the arrival of Sinterklaas, he also records closed meetings with complex and sensitive subjects. Such as the consultation of the Security Triangle on anti-terrorist measures, discussions at the Van Ghent Barracks and meetings in the neighborhoods about preventive frisking. Kiliç portrays the mayor as an authority figure and at the same time shows the human side of the man behind the office, and his personal impact on the community.

Listening ear

The images show Aboutaleb's encounters with people inside and outside 'the power' and show how many issues and people the mayor has to relate to when he enters the public domain. The mayor in uniform with a chain of office, who tirelessly appeals to the government and residents about their responsibility. And the mayor - almost unrecognizable - with a woolen winter hat and windbreaker on the road with a local police officer. Wherever Aboutaleb appears, people gather around him. Kiliç gets close to Aboutaleb with his camera, who shakes hands, offers a listening ear and gives advice. The photographer records how easily Aboutaleb deals with this attention and sees that he likes to return it. In the exhibition, Kiliç provides the images with personal commentary, and in doing so makes the audience a lively part of the - sometimes conflicting - emotions and thoughts that he experiences while photographing the different worlds in which he moves in Aboutaleb's entourage.

Salih Kilic

Born in The Hague with Turkish-Kurdish and Limburg roots, Salih Kiliç (1986) grew up with a mixed identity. This identity taught him to adapt himself to feel welcome and at home everywhere. His work as a documentary photographer is about the great diversity of stories that our society possesses and that are sometimes hidden in environments and groups that are not equally accessible or found by everyone. In every micro-society that Kiliç finds, he searches for the rules and rituals that apply there. By observing and recording these, he tries to develop acceptance for his presence in all these places and thus develop the perspective of an 'insider' instead of the usual outsider. With his documentary series about Ahmed Aboutaleb, the first Dutch mayor of Moroccan descent, Kiliç wants to emphasise the importance of transparency in democracy, a transparency that is sometimes under pressure due to safety regulations, information officers and the current political climate.