Enigmatic photographer known only as The Turk conceptualizes what happens when a group of forgotten, rejected carnies insist that the show must go on. The Salbatar Circus series features dramatically staged “elephantine women,” “scarlet harlots,” “pathetic jugglers,” “potbellied acrobats,” and other outcasts who seem to be frozen in time, playing to an imaginary audience and waiting for the final curtain call that never comes. Picture the weird side project of Amanda Palmer, Michel Gondry, and George Grosz. The Turk’s unnerving introduction to the “show” invites viewers to “Get acquainted with … gambling games that never win … merry-go-rounds that will bore the hell out of you … motorways that will drive you into empty space … halls of shame and swindle … ” and other gloomy forms of entertainment. Meet The Turk’s theatrical cast of characters in our gallery below.
Image credit: The Turk [Spotted via houhouhaha]
Image credit: The Turk
Image credit: The Turk
Image credit: The Turk
Image credit: The Turk
Image credit: The Turk
Image credit: The Turk
Image credit: The Turk
Image credit: The Turk
Image credit: The Turk