This is not an Advertisement!

 

Public Announcement:

We are proud to present to the public a work of art made by Public Art Laboratory (PAL) in collaboration with the Open Table Initiative and PACT (Participatory Art Community Turkiye). The satirical work trains a critical eye on the structural collapse of the Istanbul Foundation For Culture and Arts (IKSV), which was founded in 1973 and stewarded many other foundations.

The standards of society in Turkey have been rapidly declining and a primary reason for the decline is the disregard for assigning qualified individuals to key positions in major institutions and foundations that shape society. Accountability and transparency are no longer valued principles. Fewer and fewer programs are being offered in the increasingly restricted field of art and culture as the current political landscape is being redesigned.

When the curatorship of Defne Ayas was cancelled by the IKSV, the foundation failed to offer the public a clear explanation for the dismissal, trampling on the principles of merit and transparency. Once again it became clear how politics was playing a primary role in the art world in an effort to shape the dominant the political narrative.

As a member of ‘Open Non-governmental Agencies,’ the IKSV management must act in line with the principles of transparency and accountability. We would like to highlight the importance of the foundation in question, one that manages many different funds, including those linked to the EU: such a foundation is compelled to meet the standards of public accountability to avoid scrutiny in regard to its lack of transparency in the international arena. Furthermore, in an interview given on November 13th. General Manager of IKSV, Görgün Taner, stated his disregard for the criticism of those artists and art workers with past links to the foundation; his tone was both patronizing and threatening.

The IKSV must immediately attend to these deeply problematic choices. We would remind the foundation that their publicly announced transitional stage can only be achieved by developing policies that will elevate the free voices of art.

In an effort to raise public awareness, Public Art Laboratory is presenting two satirical works of art entitled, This is not an Advertisement, which aims to criticize the IKSV management for instigating one of deepest crises in the history of Turkish art.

1. Seeking an Unqualified Curator

2. Seeking Unqualified Artists

Both advertisements contain 10 collectible coupons. In total 200 prints will be made, in both English and Turkish, which means a total of 2000 coupons will be available to the public. The artwork will be featured in exhibitions in both Turkey and in various countries around the world, in national and international art events, until September 12th, 2024.

Public Art Laboratory

PACT (Participatory Art Community Turkiye)

Open Table Initiative

With respect to the public…

Data Matrix Decipher to Censorship

     On Wednesday 15 February at 19.00, Istanbul Modern Museum held an opening for two exhibitions: "La La La Human Steps" from the collection of the Boijmans Van Beuningan Museum in the Netherlands and "After Yesterday" from the Istanbul Modern photography collection. Kamusal Sanat Laboratuvarı (Public Art Laboratory) carried out a performance during the opening as a silent protest. This performance, entitled "The Museum Director’s Bag", involved an artist carrying a digital bag while visiting the opening, at times placing it on the floor in the exhibition hall or cocktail area or simply holding it in his hand while examining a piece of art.

Weaving the City

     CARPANA is the most primitive knitting instrument originated in Anatolian Yoruk culture. As a hand crafted unique mechanism of coordinated holed plates which are used to tie the woven ropes has spread among diverse Anatolian cultures, which discovers diverse patterns as well. In its early uses they were functioned to tie down the yoruk tents and securing the horse carriages. Representing a temporary solution to stabilize the place, so far it has symbolized the strong ties of the Anatolian culture.

“…I am at your service, General”

     International Istanbul Biennial has been held since 2007 under the sponsorship of Koç Holding, which would continue the same for the coming fifteen years. As you remember, 11th Istanbul Biennial of the last year was inspired by Bertolt Brecht's "The Threepenny Opera" and the Koç dynasty made a call for the living artists asking “What does human live on?”. Capital’s welcoming Brecht with open arms led to discussions so much so that it faced creative protests by “Istanbul Beğenal, Direnal and Alternative Platform”.

Manifest

• We were brought together by the rage created by the overwhelming violence used by governments against people, nature, culture, science, art and different ways of life.

• We were brought together by the burning need for an organisation open to anyone who wants to create “tangible thoughts” that can change the space, time, working conditions, human relations and lifestyles that are shaped by the nightmare of capitalism.