Istanbul Codex

Endam Acar - Silent Majority (2015)

“When we started to document and explore the Turkish art scene for the Imago Mundi collection in the summer of 2015, we had the feeling of opening a construction site – with its focal point in Istanbul – for the creation of an updated “manuscript” of today’s Turkey, using only the language of contemporary art. In other words, a chronicle written in miniatures by 203 artists, selected and invited to this unusual exercise of “artistic writing” on a 10x12 cm canvas. It was, in fact, the playful alliance between the approach of a curator and a chronicler which has given shape to this collection, inspired at every step by the idea of capturing the microcosm of art and its related fields in today’s vibrant Turkey in this Istanbul Codex.

Elçin Ekinci - From the series Representation of Breasts - as if (2015)

In her introduction to the catalogue, Lora Sariaslan – one of the most important curators and art historians in Turkey – highlights how “Art is an increasingly important and tangible mode of expression within the cultural, ethnic, political, and social plurality of today’s Turkish society.” “What makes the current art scene in Turkey particularly interesting is the critical, dissident, and transgressive stance of artists towards the ongoing turbulent socio-political events, and their ability to masterfully reflect their ideas and concepts in their works”.

Hera Büyüktaşçıyan - Blind Recorder (2015)

EVOKED BY IRONY

Irony and humour shape the heart line of contemporary Turkish art. Işıl Eğrikavuk puts her ironic touch on the canvas, when she writes a brief note to Luciano Benetton. She pens a “How are you?” note to the founder of the global Imago Mundi art project. With this note, the artist wittily combines irony with the facts of contemporary life, as she includes her thoughts on the current mass of migration and humanity’s overwhelming ignorance

Bedri Baykam - Untitled (2015) Bedri Baykam - This Has Been Done Before (2015)

Complementing this work, Yeşim Ağaoğlu’s statement I Can Do It Too keeps the critical approach alive. She literally quotes the onlookers’ reaction to modern and contemporary art when they fail to comprehend it. She has mirrored this reaction in her artistic career for the past decade. It is not only the “I can do it,” but the “too” that adds a layer that incorporates or implies the personal comparison of the viewer with the artist, almost neglecting the artist’s aspirations, experiences, expressions, and accomplishments. Both Baykam and Ağaoğlu have created a criticism and visual thinking that are fundamentally relational and work as intermediaries between the artist and the viewer.

Yeşim Ağaoğlu - I can do it too (2015)

EVER-CHANGING IDENTITIES / THE SELF-PORTRAIT

An interpretation of self-portrait can be found in the work of Suat Öğüt, who deals with the topic of receiving the “permit”: to migrate, to reside, to work, to live and to love. This is made possible by his Belgian residence permit, which he obtained when he was studying art in Belgium. The inclusion of both sides of his residence permit shows proof of his temporary residence, hence, of obtaining the permit. Öğüt transforms a bureaucratic document into an artistic statement.

Suat Öğüt - Business Card (2015)

In her work, Gözde İlkin focuses on gender and socially constructed identities and attempts to shed light on some of the deepest drivers, desires and fears of human beings through a subjective documentary approach. In her work for the Imago Mundi collection, she deals directly with the gender issue by creating a Turkish identity card split into two, where she combines both the female (pink) and the male (blue) versions. In many cultures, the identity card is still the most common outward manifestation of the sexual, psychological, emotional and sociological identity of its owner and a field of control for the authorities.

Gözde İlkin - ID Card

FROM PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO TO THE CANVAS

Sefer Memişoğlu’s The last pixel of Canvas Pyramidion is a convergence of canvas and photography. The artist is interested in what lies in between and focuses on the interaction between the real and virtual aspects of the canvas. In the Imago Mundi project, the surface of the canvas has been minimalized to create a symbolic artistic presence with an index of names: hundreds of artists and hundreds of small pieces of canvas build up a pyramid.

Sefer Memişoğlu - The Last Pixel of Canvas Pyramidion (2015)

One of the first and most important performance artists from Turkey, Şükran Moral creates situations in which social norms are subverted and the suppressed is allowed to emerge. Her performances have taken place in many different locations, ranging from brothels and hammams to mental hospitals, thus disrupting their normal function and turning them into discursive platforms for art. In her Imago Mundi work, she revisits one of her iconic performances – Hamam (Turkish Bath) from 1997 – as she covers her canvas with one of the photos from this performance. It took place in the men’s section of the Galatasaray Hammam as an act of transgression in a society where the role of the woman was – and still can be – defined by men.

Gül Ilgaz - Untitled (2015)

Derya Özparlak often plays with balloons in her works, “hanging” being a dominant concept. In her work for Imago Mundi she creates a playful intervention: a fragment of the canvas turns into the thread that holds balloons together, while the wooden frame of the original Imago Mundi canvas is used as a base for the entire work, creating a “wooden bouquet”. Evolving from the thought bubbles of her first works, Özparlak’s balloons fly against gravity. By creating a colourful world of balloons she attempts to catch and hold onto lightness, both technically and conceptually.