Artists' Film International 2021 on "Care"

Istanbul Modern hosts the Artists' Film International program featuring videos, animations and short films by artists from different geographies of the world. Following the online exhibition of Artists’ Film International, Istanbul Modern now presents the program as an exhibition at its temporary space in Beyoğlu. This year’s videos focus on “care”.

The need to care about all the elements that bring life together is becoming more and more urgent – from nature to the environment, from animals to plants and people. It is also crucial to address the forms of relationships we establish with each other as countries and individuals carefully. Today, the phenomenon of “care” is felt even more deeply especially after a year of lockdowns across the world due to a virus, which confined people to their homes and prompted them to focus on their ability to act collectively upon the same needs in order to continue their lives.

The selection of Artists' Film International in 2021 presents different insights on the theme of “care” addressed through various frameworks and forms of expression. This year, following up on the invitation of Istanbul Modern, artist Sena Başöz is participating in the program. Başöz's video titled “The Box” is shown both at Istanbul Modern and at the program’s international partners in 2021.

Established by the Whitechapel Gallery, London in 2008, Artists' Film International includes 22 global partner organizations. In this regard, each organization selects an exciting recent work on that year’s specific theme by an artist from their region, which is then shared amongst the network. In the past years, Istanbul Modern has participated in the program with videos by Ali Kazma, İnci Eviner, Sefer Memişoğlu, Bengü Karaduman, Burak Delier, Vahap Avşar, Zeyno Pekünlü, Cengiz Tekin, Pelin Kırca, Senem Gökçe Oğultekin and Ergin Çavuşoğlu.

Within the scope of the program, nine videos are shown in the exhibition, with the curatorial selection of Istanbul Modern. In this context, the artists participating in the exhibition are: Sena Başöz (Istanbul Modern, Turkey); Thania Petersen (Bag Factory, Johannesburg, South Africa); Clare Langan (Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, Ireland); Giulio Squillacciotti (GAMeC, Bergamo, Italy); Himali Singh Soin (Project 88, Mumbai, India); Agnė Jokšė (CAC, Vilnius, Lithuania); Rehana Zaman (Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK); Patty Chang (Ballroom Marfa, Texas, USA), Kiri Dalena (MCAD, Manila, Phillipines).

Program / Content: Öykü Özsoy, Nilay Dursun