curatorial enquiry

 

Some members of the Enquiry seminar group at the Istanbul Biennial 2009.

 

Members of the Enquiry meet WHW in Istanbul 2009.

 

on this page:

 

 

about 'the enquiry' seminar series

 

Mary Anne Staniszewski articulates in the opening lines of her 1998 study of exhibition installation at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, The Power of Display, ‘What is omitted from the past reveals as much about culture as what is recorded is history and circulates as memory’ (Staniszewski, 1998: p. xxi).

The rehearsing of historical references without close examination encloses the parameters of culture. An enquiry is a research seminar group which examines a number of key exhibitions and projects since the 1960s as a method such as When Attitudes Become Form, Kunsthalle Bern, 1969, Information, MOMA, New York, 1971 and the evolution of ambitious projects such as Rosc in the 1960s until its dissolution in 1988.

As a peer-led group, issues are discussed at each session and the subject matter for the next session is proposed and agreed. The group comprised of artists, curators and other interested individuals meets every second Wednesday. During each session there is a presentation of research followed by intensive discussions and the development of the next session.

Recent guest lecturers have included independent curator Mathieu Copeland discussing his collaborative curatorial project Le Vide, Pompidou Centre, Paris (April 2009) and Dr. Julian Myers, senior lecturer, Curatorial studies, CCA Wattis, San Francisco. There have also been a number of field trips to Art in the Shadow of War, Model Arts and Niland Gallery, Sligo (June 2009) and the 11th Istanbul Biennial in October 2009.

Convened by Georgina Jackson, gradcam research scholar. Contact georginajackson(at)gmail.com

[Previous semesters: See Autumn 2009 schedule here; and Spring 2009 schedule of activities here.)

 

 

spring semester 2010

 

  • 27/01/10 10:00-12:00

    We are currently looking at Magiciens de la Terre (1989, Pompidou and Parc de La Villette) and other key exhibitions of this period (The Other Story, Hayward, 1989 and Primitivism and the 20th Century, MOMA, New York, 1984), issues of representation and globalization.

     

  • 9 and 10/02/10 17:00-18:00 Tuesday 9th and 10:00-12:00 Wednesday 10th

    A close reading session on 9th February between 17:00 and 18:00 as part of "re : public" project at Temple Bar Gallery and Studios. We will also have our usual session on Wednesday 10 February, 10:00, which will also be held at the TBG&S premises.

    The reading for 9th February is 'Mapping International Exhibitions' by Reesa Greenberg, Sandy Nairne and Bruce Ferguson, in "The manifesta decade: debates on contemporary art exhibitions and biennials in post-wall Europe", 47-56. (Barbara Vanderlinden and Elena Filipovic, eds. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 2005).

    For those of you who can't make it to the library before the 9th, there is also an earlier version of the text online at http://www.yorku.ca/reerden/Publications/MAPPING/mapping_int_exhibitions.htm (However there are differences - it seems quite a lot - so I suggest reading the latest version from the book. )

    On 10th February we will look at some exhibitions that have contributed to the similar debates around Magiciens de la Terre, which we looked last week.

    The research is shared as follows: Sarah - The Other Story, Curator: Rasheed Araeen, 1989
    Jeanette - The Other Story, Curator: Rasheed Araeen, 1989
    Clodagh - 3rd Havana Biennial, 1989
    Mags - "Primitivism" in 20th century art : affinity of the tribal and the modern, MOMA, 1984
    Rana - "Primitivism" in 20th century art : affinity of the tribal and the modern, MOMA, 1984
    Vaari - Magiciens de la Terre, 1989

    It might be good to try to stick to the 8 mins rule for presentations to leave time for discussions. So, rather than detailed descriptions of exhibitions, giving an overview of each exhibition and explaining in what way they contributed to the general debate on issues of representation and global culture would be sufficient to continue the discussion we started last week. Please also don't forget our google docs account.

    NOTE: Georgina Jackson is at the Mattress Factory cc-curating a show with Mark Garry, with artists Dennis McNulty, Bea McMahon, Rhona Byrne, Karl Burke and Brian Griffiths. Vaari Claffey and Rana Ozturk are leading the group in her absence.

     

  • 03/03/10 10:00-12:00

  • 24/03/10 10:00-12:00

  • 07/04/10 10:00-12:00

  • 21/04/10 10:00-12:00

  • 05/05/10 10:00-12:00

  • 19/05/10 10:00-12:00

  • 02/06/10 10:00-12:00

 

istanbul study trip: 28.10.09- 05.11.09

 

 

What follows is the report of a study trip initiated and realised by the Enquiry seminar group.

 

Wednesday 28 October 2009

 

20:50 Arrival in Istanbul

 

Thursday 29 October 2009

 

11:00 Group reading WHW’s Curatorial statement What Keeps Mankind Alive?

 

12.00 Group visit “What Keeps Mankind Alive” 11th Istanbul Biennial – Antrepo No.3 venue

 

Antrepo No.3 was the first of the three biennial venues visited by the group. Underlying themes in the show are expressed through various art works which articulate the body, human behaviours and systems which facilitate the exercise of both war and previously hidden societal manipulations. The exhibition featured the work of seventy artists with a predominance of works from Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

 

Throughout the show there were many examples of work functioning on a knife’s edge of the factual and the fictional. The installation was largely pictorial with an emphasis on two dimensional images and video works. The presentation of the works was museological. The artists represented included Rabih Mroué, Trevor Paglen, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Mounira Al Sohl, Bureau d'études, Sharon Hayes, David Maljković, Canan Şenol and KP Brehmer. The group spent six hours at the venue and fastidiously documented the show as the basis for forthcoming presentations on the exhibition in particular and the trip in general. This research and documentation also formed the starting point for conversation with other professionals at subsequent meetings, among them Sabina Sabolović, from the curator’s collective What, How and for Whom (WHW) who curated the exhibition. [JD]

 

18.00 Visit to Istanbul Modern

 

Istanbul Modern, located beside Antrepo No.3, was the first of the non-biennial venues visited by the enquiry group. Founded in 2004, Istanbul Modern, ideally located on an 8,000 square metre site by the Bosphorus is the first privately owned museum to host modern and contemporary art in Turkey. The galleries’ multifaceted approach demonstrates a wide scope through its ambitious events that aim to encompass diverse audiences. Istanbul Modern houses many amenities including a public library, permanent and temporary exhibition space and areas dedicated to photography, drawing and sculpture. Younger audiences are drawn to the museum through their educational and social programmes, cinema, video, café, design store.

 

The group spent two hours viewing and documenting the work at the gallery, availing of the late closing times of 8 o’clock and free entry on Thursdays. Current exhibitions viewed in the Istanbul Modern included a new exhibition titled ‘New works, new horizons,’ outlining the evolution of modern and contemporary art produced in Turkey and exploring social, cultural, economic and political themes. Further prompts for more informal wider public engagement with such issues is demonstrated through the construction of a ‘working area’ in the hallway of the exhibition space.

 

On the ground floor of the museum, we saw the ‘Site’ exhibition by Sarkis, one of the prominent artists from Turkey. This exhibition, housed in the temporary gallery space encompassed a wide scope of approaches to formatting and presentation of ideas, from large scale billboard photography, sculptural installation prompting its immediate architecture and sound and video installations. The exhibition addresses a number of key stages within modern and contemporary art discourse through a career that spanned the half a century. Working with such diverse materials such as gouache on paper (1960’s), installation work (1970’s), institutional critique (1980’s) and multi cultural cross disciplinary work, Sarkis embeds his own past and career, objects and artefacts from a shared cultural memory, and history of humanity at large into his work. During the exhibition the artist has taken part in a school with young students and a number of public meetings to encourage public engagement with the use of materials as well as subject matter. The cinema space is being used to show a number of films selected by the artist and which have relations with his own work. [SD]

 

Friday 30 October 2009

 

11:00 Group meeting with Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Centre

 

Meeting with Vasıf Kortun (Director) to discuss the generation of Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Centre and the role it has played locally and internationally.

 

Located in one of the most vibrant areas of Istanbul, Platform acts as a dynamic catalyst for the dissemination, research and practice of contemporary art in the city, and also provides a meeting point for exchange between contemporary artists, curators and critics. Since its inception in 2001 it has had an ambitious exhibition programme, however due to expansion plans it is currently housed in a temporary space with residency studios, the library and archive but no exhibition space.

 

Director Vasif Kortun discussed with the group the shifts that have occurred both locally and internationally since the inception of Platform in Istanbul in 2001. The discussion focused on the role of such an institution locally and its ambition and responsibility to collaborate and not compete with other institutions or artist-run spaces. Kortun also discussed the plans for the consolidation of three strands supported by Garanti Bank: Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Centre, Archives and Research Center for Social and Economic History and Urbanism/Architecture and Design. This new institution (name currently undecided) is due to open in 2011. Central to this future institution and its varying strands is the role of research, the archive and conceptions of the future.

 

After this meeting Öykü Özsoy discussed the evolution and workings of the artists and curatorial residency programme. As a central site within Istanbul, Platform Garanti enables the exchange and discussions between cultural producers in residency and local communities. It also emerged that residency participants sometimes return to develop larger projects with organizational assistance and support from Platform Garanti. During this time we also conducted a series of short studio visits with artists Francesco Mattuzzi, Kalle Brolin, Soren Thilo Funder and curator November Paynter discussing their reasons for coming to Istanbul and the impressions it has made along with the development of particular projects and works there.

 

Another key role that Platform Garanti plays is as a reposit for information and printed material on contemporary art in Turkey. There is also a collection of video works by Turkish artists. As librarian and archivist Sezin Romi explained, the collection was initially begun after the donation of Vasif Kortun’s private collection of books, but since then the archive has developed considerably. The library holds material and books on contemporary art, monographs, exhibition catalogues, art and critical theory books and anthologies. The archive of Turkish contemporary art collects ephemera, images, photographs, dvds, printed matter, articles and correspondence by artists. This material along with Platform’s library can be consulted by the public. From this perspective the archive operates a research resource for both local communities and those visiting Istanbul. There are certain parallels between the emergence and development of the National Irish Visual Arts Library (NIVAL), located at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), which collects material from twentieth century art and contemporary art. This issue of sustainable resources both for the contemporary moment and in the future formed the core of our discussion with Sezin. [GJ]

 

14.30 View exhibition TRANSIT II Danilo Correale, Didem Özbek & Osman Bozkurt, curated by Pelin Uran, Adriana Rispoli and Eugenio Viola at PIST</p>

 

 

We were directed to PIST, located at 2 shop fronts in Pangaltı, by three friendly locals who were chatting outside of a nearby café. We met briefly with Didem who introduced us to the space and the current exhibition Transit II. She discussed the work in the exhibition TRANSIT II which looks at the idea of the “the movement of the immigrant.” The exhibition features a collaborative piece by Didem and her partner at PIST, Osman Bozkurt, and the work of Danilo Correale. Didem and Osman’s video piece shot in the locality gave insight into the presence of the Italian community that was once visible within the Ottoman Empire and early Republic of Turkey. The video piece chronicles the story of a nearby corner store “Napoli”, Turkish name of the city Naples, formerly owned by Italians. The centre screen captures the days events within the shop featuring anecdotal stories from the owners and their daily interactions with the customers, the left screen documents the activities of the traffic in the street outside of the shop and the right monitor layers a photograph of the current owner over a photograph of the previous owners over the course of the video. A three-piece musical instrument constructed from handcrafted cymbals was also exhibited in this space. Danilo Correale composed The Istanbul Symphony specifically for Transit II on this device made from handcrafted cymbals. An Armenian community in Turkey manufactures these renowned cymbals since the Ottoman Empire. The performance, which took place on September 9th 2009 was recorded and the video documentation was displayed on a flat screen beside the instrument.

 

 

14.55 Meeting with Didem Özbek and Osman Bozkurt, co-directors, PIST

 

After visiting the exhibition we moved next door to meet Didem and Osman in the reception area/office of PIST, located in an adjoining room with a similar large store front window. Prompted by the need for independent spaces where interdisciplinary projects could be r4ealised, Didem and Osman set up PIST in May 2006. Originally as three partners including Fatoş Üstek, Didem and Osman established PIST to create this much needed platform for possible discourses and enable presentations from young and emerging artists, writers, critics, architects or musicians in the art scene of Istanbul and Turkey. Rather than operating within the cultural centre, PIST is located in Pangalti, a lively working class area. We realized from our encounters with the locals that the cultural activities of PIST do involve discourse with the local community and Didem described specific projects and street interventions that articulated this. A particularly topical intervention was the Moving Car Project that they realized with UK artist, Michael Coombs. Street parking is an issue in this area and the movable car became a useful tool for securing parking space as it moved from one parking space to another on the street.

 

From our conversation it is clear that Didem and Osman have successfully generated a national and international dynamism within the contemporary art scene. In 2007 they hosted the e-flux video rental service in their gallery space and then in 2008, PIST were invited to take part in the Frieze Art Fair. Their booth featured their own work and work by Caner Aslan, Yang Ah Ham, Köken Ergun, Sefer Memiolu, Fahrettin Örenli. Their interaction with Pangalti was suggested in their work Çay Ocağı / Tea Stand - visitors to their booth were offered authentic Turkish tea from this stand. Didem produced a White Sugar Cube Book to accompany the event. I recently met with independent curator, Henk Slager, a board member of the European Art Research Network who praised this project.

 

Osman told us about LIST, a map of Istanbul's contemporary art scene and artist's information service, which they initiated. From the outset, PIST organized the production, design and dissemination of this pamphlet, listing of contemporary art spaces and activities. However they have recently discontinued the service due to lack of funding (a nominal fee was requested from listed centres, however many were unable to meet the payment) and the recent appearance of a new gallery guide, Akbank Contemporary Art Map produced by Akbank Sanat. This issue developed into a larger conversation on funding and sustainability during a number of our visits to cultural producers.

 

We discovered by speaking with Didem and Osman that there is little funding for contemporary visual arts in Turkey and no funding whatsoever for these artist run initiatives. Similar to strategies employed by Platform Garanti Artist Residency Programme many of the independent spaces secure funding through creating and maintaining partnerships with other European countries. This also ensures that the network with international practitioners is maintained and developed. PIST is to a certain extent self funded - many of the individuals work on a voluntary basis and the directors of PIST supplement their income and sustain and maintain PIST through working within more commercial creative fields such as graphic design and photography. In addition, the continuation of this project is sustained due to financial support from a relative - the space that PIST occupies is rent free. From our conversations this seems to be the general modus operandi of many independent contemporary art spaces in Istanbul.[CE]

 

16:00 11th Istanbul Biennial - Feriye Greek School, Abide-i Hürriyet Cad. No.7

 

The group visited the Feriye Greek School an ancillary Biennial venue. There they saw the work of a number of artists, for instance Lado Darakhvelidze who uses painting, sculpture and installation to trace power relations in different hierarchical structures such as public spaces and governmental political or economic structures; KwieKulik an artist duo Zofia Kulik and Przemyslaw Kwiek who collaborated from 1971 until 1987 producing different forms of archives, films, object installations and performed actions; and also Irish artist Jesse Jones who annexes forms of popular culture to try to establish a collective space that responds to the on going depletion of the public sphere.

 

18:30 – 20:30 11th Istanbul Biennial Lectures/ Discussions

 

Curating, Art and the Pedagogical Turn- Paul O'Neill İTÜ Taşkışla Campus, Conference Hall No.109

Dr. Paul O’Neill (Situations, Bristol and Associate Fellow, GRADCAM) presented

 

Dr. Paul O'Neill, representing himself and Mick Wilson (Dean, GRADCAM), presented their findings on what they refer to as the 'pedagogical turn' in contemporary art and curating in advance of the publication of a book they are co-editing on the subject. This 'turn' refers to artistic and curatorial practices which make the theoretical and the discursive primary, rather than secondary, activities in art production and presentation. Citing the 'failed' Manifesta, Manifesta 6, which was planned to take the form of a school in Cyprus and its subsequent re-formation into the unitednationsplaza, exhibition as school Project lead by Tirdad Solgdar and Anton Vidokle as paradigmatic of these practices, O'Neill presented a variety of models including John Cussin's 'Yellow Wallpaper Project' and Cork Caucus by Charles Esche, Annie Fletcher and Art/Not Art. O'Neill also presented Sarah Pierce and Annie Fletcher's 'Para-education' project which involves education outside of the academy, borrowing some of its conventions but operating in an informal, shared and self-directed manner. Dr. O'Neill also presented Irit Rogoff's professed concerns in relation to the nomenclature and methodology involved in identifying an 'educational turn' in curating. Rogoff says that what she describes as 'hardening into a turn' may mean that these 'initiatives are danger of being cut off from their original impetus and threaten to harden into a recognizable “style”.' http://www.e-flux.com/journal/view/18

 

During the discussion concerns were expressed by Brigitte van der Sande and What How and for Whom that those projects aimed at being inclusive and viral were frequently attended and presented by a close and exclusive group of practitioners. Charles Esche, referring to a question from the Enquiry group which had referred to an argument by Suhail Malik, agreed that the question of the role of the academy and education in providing a system of validation which supports the market must be asked. [VC]

 

21.30 Dinner with Refik Akyüz (Geniş Açı Project Office), Öykü Özsoy (Platform Garanti), Brigitte Van Der Sande, Paul O’Neill

 

Saturday 31 October 2009

 

11:00 Apartment Project Meet artist Selda Asal

 

12.00 Rodeo Gallery Vol. IV Haris Epaminonda

 

13:00 11th Istanbul Biennial Tütün Deposu (Tobacco Warehouse) venue http://www.iksv.org/bienal11/icsayfa_en.asp?cid=7&k1=content&k2=venues The artists on view included Işıl Eğrikavuk who creates documentary style videos staging fictional stories thereby creating situations that confuse current perceptions of reality; Vyacheslav Akhunov, an artist, writer and philosopher whose work includes collages, paintings, installations, performances, actions and videos and primarily reworks experiences of 1970s Moscow conceptualism; and also Chto delat/What is to be done? a collective which acts at the intersection of political theory, art and political activism whose installation consisted of videos and in-situ wall drawings, reflecting on the potential of political projects for social emancipation and collectivism. [JD]

 

15:00 BM SUMA Contemporary Art Center, Meeting with Binnaz Tukin. View guest curated exhibition “Dirty Story”

 

BM Suma Contemporary Art Center is a gallery space started in 2007 by the curator Beral Madra, Nilüfer Sülüner and Binnaz Tukin. It is located in the second floor of Suma Han, previously a business building in the old financial area of Istanbul, close to the current cultural district, Beyoğlu. After the opening of BM Suma, the building has attracted some other artistic endeavors like Artık Mekan, a small artist-run space, and Artcitizen’s Shop, a temporary shop for 60 days during the Istanbul Biennial started by the European Cultural Association. Art Citizen’s Shop is a traveling project that brings together designers from various disciplines and opens up a space for designers to share their personal suggestions on design and beyond.

 

The Enquiry group had a meeting with Binnaz Tukin, who is responsible for management and administration of BM Suma Contemporary Art Centre. Tukin talked about the foundation of the gallery space and general practicalities of running it. The main issue was the sustainability of the space as a non-commercial gallery and the possible changes in the district and long-term availability of the building. The centre mainly exhibits international shows organized in collaboration with international partners. At the time of our visit the exhibition Dirty Story was on, an exhibition of 17 artists from Turkey with works that deal with the current social and political climate of Turkey through daily incidents or ongoing issues from recent history of the country. [RÖ]

 

Also visited Artık Mekan Gallery and Artcitizens’shop - AKD Project.

 

17:00 BAS – Meet artist Banu Cennetoğlu

 

 

When we arrived BAS, Yavuz Parlar, the part-time intern who is currently working on his Masters thesis examining the role of artists’ books welcomed us in from the rain and led us through the beautiful hallway into the ground floor rooms where BAS has recently moved. We were welcomed by the founder/director, Banu Cennetoğlu, into the main space where the collection of artists books and publications are displayed. We had a look around her collection/archive made up of artists’ books by local and international artists. Banu told us about developing her archive by establishing BAS, as a space where the public could access these works and to create an awareness of the medium and to encourage the public to explore printed matter. Banu also explained that the role of BAS was not just for the presentation or dissemination of artists’ books, but also the production of them. The first production project Bent, was a partnership between BAS and artist Philippine Hoegen. The publication Bent focuses on collaborations with artists from Turkey and in this way supports local production while generating and developing a larger dialogue around the medium of artist books.

 

 

Banu gave each of us a printed copy of the BAS Report describing the projects undertaken since May 2006 – these include publications and participation in art fair and artists talks. Already 10 Bent books by 4 different artists have been launched. Bent 001 (part 1-6), a posthumous publication of the work of Masist Gül (1947-2003), Bent 002, TakipPoursuite a crime story by Aslı Cavuşoğlu, Bent 003 by Emre Hüner, and Bent 004 SSS Shore Scene Soundtrack by Cevdet Erek. BAS also stage guest book launches, including publications such as Dictionary, 2006 a semi-anarchist dictionary, and Bag Lady by Pilvi Takala. The artist fairs that BAS was invited to participate in include Salon Light, Paris; Published and be Damned, London and Art Pie International, Amsterdam. BAS have been included in the 5th Berlin Biennial in 2008. It is interesting how Banu describes her practice, insisting that she is not a curator, but rather a facilitator. This indiscrete generous working methodology was clear when she discussed with us her participation at the 53rd Venice Biennial this year. We discussed with Banu her contribution - a large-scale publication cataloguing photographs that she produced using a digital camera. The photographs in the catalogue were in thematic categories but were untitled and without captions. Viewers were invited to choose images that they could download for free during the duration of the Biennial. The only reference to the artist at Venice was her website address listed on the paper slips providing the codes to access the digital images online. This led us on to discussing the nomination of Istanbul as City of Culture for 2010. We learned that Banu was approached to participate in this enterprise but she declined. From our conversation it seems that Banu is wary of being tied to large enterprises and would rather operate without large amounts of funding in favour of self-regulation. It seems that the running of the initiative by the artist rather than through institutional assistance is paramount to her ideology. Similar to PIST, BAS operates through goodwill, funding is secured by private sponsorship and the rental of their space is nominal. We discussed with Banu the opportunity of visiting us at GradCAM to participate in an artist talk. Banu was very interested in visiting Dublin and meeting with similar cultural practitioners in the field. This would develop the network that we established while visiting her at BAS. [CE]

 

18:30 Geniş Açı (Wide Angle) Project Ofice – Meeting with Serdar Darendeliler and Refik Akyüz to talk about Geniş Açı Projects and Turkish Contemporary Photography.

 

Geniş Açı Project Office (GAPO) was founded at the beginning of 2007 based on the experiences of Geniş Açı Photography Magazine that has been published bimonthly between 1997-2006. In our meeting with Serdar Darendeliler and Refik Akyüz, previously editors of the magazine, we discussed their current plans and projects as GAPO as well as Geniş Açı magazine and the role it played in Turkish photography scene. While it was published Geniş Açı has been the only photography magazine in Turkey that had been dealing with art, culture and theory of photography mainly focusing on the current photography events in Turkey and abroad. While there is still no other publication to fill this gap, the magazine had to be stopped in its 10th year because of financial difficulties and limited resources to continue. Mainly because of this decision and the general issues of funding and sponsorship in Turkey, a big part of our conversation with Serdar and Refik focused on survival and sustainability of independent artistic projects and organizations.

 

Serdar and Refik explained the difficulties of working on a regularly published magazine and the reasons for their decision to use their knowledge and experience in other projects under the name GAPO. As GAPO they aim to support and promote photographers from Turkey, and help them to be recognized internationally by organizing exhibitions, publishing books, or other types of collaborations with national and international institutions. GAPO also provides consultancy services for photographers on editing, design and curation of their photographs for exhibition and book projects; organizes workshops for emerging photographers.

 

Serdar and Refik also talked about the ongoing 'Young Talents in Turkish Photography' project, which was started in 2001 as an open call for thematic portfolios by photographers under 30. Selected portfolios have been presented to the public in a special bilingual (Turkish/English) publication together with a traveling exhibition. They have also organized other exhibitions from selections of young talents’ work since 2001. Our visit ended with a screening of “Emerging Photography from Turkey”, a projection of photographs which has been shown in Italy in 2009. [RÖ]

 

Sunday 1 November 2009

 

11:00 Istanbul Modern/ Revisit 11th Istanbul Biennial Antrepo No.3 and Tobacco Warehouse venues

 

The group re- visited the main Biennial exhibition venue Antrepo No.3 (see above Thursday October 29th at 12:00) and also the Tobacco Warehouse the third biennial venue.

 

15:00 City and Art Exhition at Tophane-i Amire Cultural Centre Meeting with Melih Görgün and Mahir Namur from European Cultural Association (AKD) Through this very informative meeting the research group was given an overview of the City and Art project initiated by Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and European Cultural Association. The project includes a Forum “City and Art,” an exhibition, a DVD documenting the process of the projects undertaken and a publication of a book containing its outcomes. The project questions the present and future role of the art university and the role of the city and its public within this framework. The Project Partners include Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Malmö University School of Arts and Communication, University of the Arts London, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Associated Partners include Mersin University Faculty of Fine Arts, Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts, ELIA European League of Institutes of the Arts, Consulate General of Sweden, Austrian Cultural Forum, European Cultural Association, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, Yeditepe University Department of Arts Management, Gayrettepe Rotaract Club.

 

During the course of the project a workshop with the European League of Institutes of the Arts (ELIA) had been organized addressing issues concerned with networking and collaboration between European universities. Outcomes of this cross-institution based project initiative include national and international networking, sustainable collaborations and cross institutional fertilization of practices and facilities between the EU and Turkey. The project encourages and maintains tutor exchanges, student workshops and exhibitions throughout the partner universities, an exhibition in Istanbul, construction of an internationally based social network system of cultural practitioners and academics, and a magazine distributed via the internet.

 

Part of this project is the exhibition entitled City and Art which took place at Tophane-i Amire Culture and Arts Centre from 15th October until 25th November 2009. The exhibition had been selected from he projects produced during the workshops within the scope of the City and Art Project. Some of the themes explored through the works include notions of publicness, sound as a navigational tool within the cityscape, and the body, technology and social ethics. The enquiry group spent two hours at the venue viewing, documenting and meeting with the Istanbul based project partners. By meeting and being introduced to the ambitions and strategies of the project, the group was given an overview of the project while being able to discuss crucial issues within such an endeavour such as objectives, ambition, practicalities, funding and outcomes. Future networking opportunities were extended through the City and Art project initiative. Networking with the City and Art project directors has created an interest in potential future collaborations through Irish Art institutions and on an individual student basis between Turkey and Ireland. [SD]

 

European Cultural Association [AKD] After a long discussion on City and Art Project, Mahir and Melih spoke to the group about European Cultural Association (Avrupa Kültür Derneği – AKD), an independent non-profit NGO based in Istanbul that was established in 2003.

 

European Cultural Association's vision is to raise "cultural awareness" and "respect to other cultures". It is designed as a way to raise awareness of Turkish Culture by working closely with a number of European partners as it regards an understanding of cultural practices as significant in the overall understanding of 'other cultures'. AKD has now 30 members made up of artists, arts administrators and a variety of other professions. Recent projects include Artsitizen’s Shop, that was held for two months during the Istanbul Biennial. Their projects also include the Sinop Biennial 'Sinopale' which has had two iterations, the first curated by founder T. Melih Görgün, the second by a curatorial committee including Melih Görgün, Beral Madra (local critic, curator and gallerist) and Vittorio Urbani. The first was called 'Things' the second 'The New Order of Things', described by Beral Madra as a borrowing from Foucault to 'question the political economic and cultural new that effects our everyday and lifetime.' Held in the Northernmost town/city in Turkey, the Biennial commissions new works and re-stages existing works, in co-operation with the local residents who provide both accommodation and skills and labour to realise the exhibition. Sinop is as a town which attracts 'artistic spirits' because of the tolerant attitude towards its youth; according to the Turkish Airlines website. [VC]

 

16:45 Siemens Sanat Contemporary Art Centre

 

Viatico/ Yolluk- Elisabetta Benassi, Letizia Cariello and Delfina Marcello Curated by Melih Görgün and Vittorio Urbani Curator Melih Görgün gave a talk about the gallery and the exhibition www.siemenssanat.com

 

Located in close proximity to art educational institutions along with key venues for the Biennial (Antrepo) and other visual arts institutions (Istanbul Modern), Siemens Sanat shows the work of young contemporary artists primarily through group exhibitions. Initially founded in 2004 under the framework of Siemen’s corporate social responsibility, the space aims to create a platform for communication and discussion on contemporary art. Following a restructuring period in 2007, the programme is now developed by a network of curators currently Prof. T. Melih Görgün, lecturer at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, and Assistant Prof. Mürteza Fidan at Marmara University, Painting Department. [GJ]

 

Dinner Jeanette Doyle, Vaari Claffey, Georgina Jackson, Sara Reisman, Hakan Topal, Paul O’Neill

 

Monday 2 November 2009

 

11:00 Kad1rga Art Production Centre

 

Deniz Erbaş, Istanbul 2010, Assistant of Visual Arts Project, presented the projects in produced and in development for İstanbul Capital of Culture 2010

 

We had a meeting with Deniz Erbaş during which she described the plans for Istanbul 2010 and outlined some of the plans for the visual arts within Istanbul as capital of culture. The visual art directorate is lead by Beral Madra and they have identified visual arts as suffering from 'the most vital failure' pertaining to contemporary culture. In order to address this, Madra has initiated a number of schemes, all designed to place Istanbul/Turkish within the context of an international art scene. 'Lives and works in Istanbul' is a residency designed to encourage established international artists to complete residency and production programmes in the capital and realize creative workshops with local emergent artists. These are large budget programmes and do not seem to include commissions for established Turkish artists. The scheme also aims to 'facilitate the production of artworks in the 'current aesthetics and styles in effect on the international art scene.'

 

Deniz also presented artist-run spaces and artists’ initatives in Istanbul. By examining a number of projects again issues of representation, sustainability and local support became apparent. Many of the independent spaces in Istanbul had expressed reservations and a mistrust of the funding and possibilities presented by Istanbul 2010. [VC]

 

12.30 Meeting with Sabina Sabolovic (WHW, Curatorial collective, curators of 11th Istanbul Biennial), Taksim Square This meeting took the opportunity to discuss some of the issues presented and considered in the development of the 11th Istanbul Biennial. From initial discussions on the role of the Biennial within a city or space such as Istanbul, we discussed the period of research and structuring of the exhibition. We also discussed some of the criticism and issues of local and international role of a biennial such as Istanbul.

 

Afternoon Walking around the historical district

 

Dinner Hakan Topal (xurban collective), Sara Reisman, Nato Thompson (Creative Time), Sabina Sabolovic (WHW), Cevdet Erek, Derya Demir (Galeri NON)

 

Tuesday 3 November 2009

 

10.00 Commercial galleries- Istiklal Galerist, Galeri Nev, Ura

 

12:00 Santral İstanbul Esra Yıldız will give info about the space and the current exhibition, Yüksel Arslan: A Retrospective

 

Georgina Jackson, Rana Ozturk and Jeanette Doyle met with Esra Yıldız to see the first retrospective exhibition of Yüksel Arslan,. at Santral İstanbul. Esra Yıldız gave the group an overview of the history of the gallery which was Silahtarağa the first urban scale power plant of the Ottoman era until it was converted into Santral İstanbul opening in September 2007. The induction to the space was followed by a tour of the current exhibition. This exhibition of Yüksel Arslan’s work presented over five hundred of the artist's works compiled from collections around the world and Turkey, along with supporting texts, photographs and records that explicate the aspects which shape his world of thought, imagination and painting, and was curated by Levent Yılmaz.

 

The "Yüksel Arslan Retrospective" exhibited in santralistanbul comprises the artist's pre- and post-Arture works since the 1950s. Works from series "Artur(c)s", "The Capital", "An Attempt at Updating The Capital", "Influences", "Autoartures", "Man", and "New Influences", a selection from the thousands of drawings he made while creating these series, and documents involving persons who bear importance in the shaping of the his artistic approach and intellectual world (letters, documents and photographs documenting his closeness with Edouard Roditi, Jean Dubuffet, Roland Topor, Orhan Duru, Ferit Edgü...) are shown together for the first time. Extensive photographs showing Arslan's working/living space were also presented within the context of this exhibition. The group spent several hours touring the extensive show which occupied three levels of the massive gallery space. [JD]

 

14.00 Commercial Galleries Galeri Non Current exhibition: Studio Osep – Tayfun Serttaş Outlet-0hraç Fazlas1 Current exhibition: GOAL! Fikret Atay

 

17.00 Revisit 11th Istsanbul Biennial Antrepo 3. Venue

 

Wednesday 4 November 2009

 

10:55 Flight to Dublin

 

We would like to acknowledge the support of The European Cultural Foundation in the funding of this trip.

 

 

 

 

For additional information on the collaborating institutions consult www.dit.ie, www.ncad.ie, www.iadt.ie and www.ulster.ac.uk.