Showroom: Ekavart Gallery
The Ritz-Carlton Süzer Plaza 15 34367
Istanbul
EKAV/Egitim Kültür Arastirma Vakfi, sezonun ilk sergisini, 12 Eylül-8 Ekim 2011 tarihleri arasinda Çagdas Sanatin önemli isimlerinden Ardan Özmenoglu’nun “I’m not a Biennial Artist” adli sergisiyle açiyor. Sergi, 17 Eylül-13 Kasim 2011 tarihleri arasinda gerçeklesecek olan 12. Istanbul Bienali’yle es zamanli olarak görülebilecek. Özmenoglu, Anadolu’nun geleneksellesmis olan günlük yasanti ve popüler kültürüne ait olan simge ve objeleri yorumluyor ve dogalariyla çeliskili olan bir platformda, sergi mekâninda izleyicilere sunuyor. Popüler kültürün bilinen portrelerinden Seda Sayan, Türkiye’nin adiyla özdeslesmis olan döner kebap, vazgeçilmez ulasim aracimiz mavi minibüsleri ve yüzyillardir yapila gelen “ata sporumuz” yagli pehlivan güresleri gibi ikonlasmis figür ve simgeleri, çalismalarinda sikça kullandigi bir malzeme olan post-it notlar ve bu teknikle bulusturdugu enstalasyonlarla sergiliyor. Özmenoglu, kendine özgü ve mütevazice baskaldiran bir üslupla, bienal çaginda “bienal sanatçisi” olma kavramini da sorguluyor. Bienal sanatçisi kimdir? Nasildir? Nasil olunur? Bienalde bir sanatçinin islerinin sergilenmesi kim tarafindan, hangi kriterlere göre belirlenir? Bir bienal sanatçisinin ilgilendigi konular ne olmalidir ya da böyle bir kriter var midir? gibi sorularla bienalle ve sistemle ilgili aklina takilan ya da net cevabi olmayan bazi sorulari da bu sergi üzerinden soruyor. Sanatçi, alisilagelmis, gözümüzün alistigi obje ve kisileri, alenî hallerinin disina çikararak yeniden yorumluyor. Geleneksel islevinden ayirarak sundugu bu simgeleri sanatsal yorumu ile tanimliyor ve bu sunum üzerinden, içinde bulundugu düzenin isleyisine elestirel bakis açisini ifade ediyor. (Özmenoglu, sergi konseptinin temasini belirlemesinde rolü olan, 12. Istanbul Bienal basvurusunun reddedildigine dair gelen e-mail’e de sergisinde yer veriyor.) Ekav Art Gallery opens its doors for the new season with young contemporary artist Ardan Ozmenoglu’s exhibition entitled “I’m not a Biennial Artist”, which will take place between September 12 th -October 8th , 2011. The exhibition will be open simultaneously with the 12th Istanbul Biennial. The artist interprets the objects and the icons, that are part of the Anatolian traditional daily life and popular culture, and presents them to the audience on a gallery platform in sort of an irony with their own nature. Ozmenoglu transforms iconic images such as; a prominent popular culture figure Seda Sayan’s portrait, doner kebap (one of Turkey’s foremost iconic foods), a most-used public transportation vehicle blue mini-buses and oil wrestling, (our ancestor’s sports practiced for centuries), are printed in the artist’s main material post-it™ notes and installations made with the same material. Ozmenoglu also questions the concept of being “a biennial artist” in the biennal age, in her own modest language, in a rebellious tone. Who is a biennial artist? How is it? How do you become one? What sorts of criterias and who define the artist to be exhibited at the biennial? On what subjects a biennial artist should concentrate or is there such a criteria?. Through such interrogations, she addresses some questions that occupy her mind about the biennial and the system and makes some inquiries on some vague areas of the system. The artist re-invents the common objects and personas, by digressing their well-known public imagery. She defines and displays these symbols by separating them from their traditional function, by her artistic perspective and via this presentation, she expresses her critical point of view on the mechanism of the system in which she exists. (Ozmenoglu also shares the letter of rejection she received for her application to 12th Istanbul Biennial, which also is an inspiration for this exhibition)