January 20 - March 12, 2015 Istanbul Modern presents Artists’ Film International, an exhibition and program dedicated to contemporary video art by featuring moving images, animations, and films of visual artists all around the world. Initiated by the Whitechapel Gallery in 2008, the program is organized in partnership with 17 art institutions from different parts of the world. Every year, partners select a new work by a prominent artist in their country and share it with the other partners. Following the curatorial work by each program partner, selected videos are displayed in thematic screenings or exhibitions. Istanbul Modern had participated in the program with works by Ali Kazma, İnci Eviner, Ergin Çavuşoğlu, Sefer Memişoğlu and Bengü Karaduman in the past. Throughout the year 2014, Istanbul Modern worked with Burak Delier and his video “Crisis and Control” was screened in the partner institutions. In 2015, the museum invited Vahap Avşar with his video “Road to Arguvan”. Istanbul Modern’s Pop-Up Exhibition Area hosts these two video installations together with other installations or thematic screenings of works of artists from 15 countries. Conversations and presentations about video art will be held within the scope of the exhibition. Artists: Yuri Ancarani, Vahap Avşar, Lee Kai Chung, Burak Delier, Dalila Ennadre, Provmyza Group, Mattias Harenstam, Oded Hirsch, Rebecca Ann Hobbs, Tran Luong, Jorge Macchi, Nicole Miller, Karen Mirza & Brad Butler, Uudam Tran Nguyen, Masooda Noora, Pallavi Paul, Elisabeth Price, Tejal Shah, Anatoly Shuravlev, Angela Su, Milica Tomic, Diego Tonus, Amir Yatziv, Tanya Busse & Emilija Škarnulytė Curator: Çelenk Bafra Assistant Curator: Senem Kantarcı Program Partners CCAA / Centre for Contemporary Art Afghanistan Ballroom Marfa, USA Belgrade Cultural Centre, Serbia Cinémathèque de Tanger, Morocco City Gallery Kfar Saba, Israel City Gallery Wellington, New Zealand Fundación PRóA, Argentina GAMeC / Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contamporanea di Bergamo, Italy Hanoi DOCLAB, Vietnam KINOKINO Centre for Art and Film, Norway Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k), Germany Para/Site, China Project 88, India Tromsø Kunstforening, Norway NCCA / National Centre for Contemporary Arts, Russia Whitechapel Gallery, UK Program YURI ANCARANI Il capo 2010, 15' LEE KAI CHUNG The History of Riot (The Dj) 2013, 9' 14'' DALILA ENNADRE Walls and People 2013, 81' PROVMYZA GROUP Pitter-Patter 2009, 32' MATTIAS HARENSTAM Reconstruction 2013, 21' ODED HIRSCH The Tractor 2014, 13' 05'' REBECCA ANN HOBBS 246 Meter Bridge 2010, 2' 48'' TRAN LUONG Lâp Lòe 2012, 10' 23" JORGE MACCHI 12 Short Songs 2009, 9' NICOLE MILLER Untitled (David) 2012, 7' 9" KAREN MIRZA & BRAD BUTLER Unreliable Narrator 2014, 16' 50'' UUDAM TRAN NGUYEN Waltz of the Machine Equestrians 2012, 3' MASOODA NOORA ... 2013, 7' 51'' PALLAVI PAUL Long Hair, Short Ideas 2014, 24' 39'' ELIZABETH PRICE At the House of MR X 2007, 20' TEJAL SHAH Some Kind of Nature 2013, 6' 30'' ANATOLY SHURAVLEV Panic 2011, 2' 17'' ANGELA SU Hartford Girl and Other Stories 2012, 11' 34'' MILICA TOMIĆ "One day instead of one night a burst of machine-gun fire will flash, if light can not come otherwise" (Oskar Davičo) 2009, 10' DIEGO TONUS Speculative Speeches (Workers of the World - Relax) 2012, 22' AMIR YATZIV Detroit 2008/2009, 13' TANYA BUSSE & EMILIJA ŠKARNULYTĖ Hollow Earth 2013, 22' 30'' Guest of 2014 BURAK DELİER Burak Delier examines the relationship between capitalism and contemporary art in the way that it intervenes into the system through the use of guerilla strategies and tactics he derives from everyday life. Burak Delier’s video focuses on how the modern-day relationship between the individual and their self, labor, and environment is shaped by the life-style imposed by neo-liberalism and flexible work conditions of the business world in which the individual is forced to participate to fulfill their personal needs and desires. Careerism, future anxiety, the focus on success, brutality of the business world and competitiveness are being "performed" and deciphered by real professionals. "Crisis and Control", inholding the privacy of a therapy room, becomes a session. Guest of 2015 VAHAP AVŞAR Vahap Avşar aims to reveal issues that have remained veiled in our region by using images that are engraved in memories as well as everyday objects and popular culture aesthetics. In the video, Vahap Avşar focuses on a gigantic crack that was formed in the 1980s on the only road connecting Arguvan, artist’s native town for generations, to the city of Malatya. Depth of the cracks in the asphalt has rendered the road useless, yet the government neither repairs it nor builds a new one. Cut off from the world, gradually deprived of fundamental facilities, and above all the hospital and courthouse, the town was abandoned to its fate. The main image and metaphor of "Road to Arguvan" is this deep crack. Shot with a hand-held camera, this short, shaky and intensive video full of mystery and associations can be read as a testament of the past and recent sociopolitical conflicts in Turkey. Left: Vahap Avşar, Road to Arguvan, 2013 Right: Burak Delier, Crisis and Control, 2013 Main page: Burak Delier, Crisis and Control, 2013 | |