THE TOY SOLDIER

The assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey was particularly noteworthy because it took place at an exhibition in Istanbul entitled "Russia in the eyes of the Turks".

The incident dispelled the idea of the gallery as a "safe" space and exposed the long-standing link between art and violence; whether it be violence as an artistic theme, violence as a process required in the production of artwork, or violence within the artistic establishment itself.

Violence makes its way into galleries in many forms. The museum can be a tool of the state, creating narratives that attribute violence to the past, and turning it into educational material, a tourist attraction or souvenir. But violence is also a source of fascination for many artists, who use it as a subject for their work or even a means in their creative process. Scholars have compared some art schools with terrorist groups, and seen terrorist elements as a kind of performance.

The assassination of the Russian ambassador was both an act of dramatic performance and, in its horrific realness and political significance, a rejection of the artistic practice that makes violence safe and academic.

The photograph and film that documented the moment added another lens to the incident, framing and interpreting even as the violence unfolded.