Borusan Culture and Arts announces a new roadmap

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Ahmet Erenli, Borusan’s arts and culture manager, says Borusan Arts andCulture enters a new era. The contemporary art events will be seperate from music.

As an art institution Borusan Culture and Arts is a real gem for Turkey’s newly developing arts and culture scene. The recent news that the institution is about to close Art Center, a contemporary art venture launched in 2008 by the Borusan Center for Culture and Arts to contribute to the progress of contemporary art production and appreciation in Istanbul, has raised eyebrows. However the closing is just a new beginning for Borusan Culture and Arts. Ahmet Erenli, Borusan’s arts and culture manager, said the closing was part of new structuring.

“In fact we started with Borusan Music, Music House and contemporary art events all combined under one roof. Now the contemporary art events will be separate. There is a whole new team that will be looking for contemporary art at Borusan Contemporary, the newly opened museum of Borusan at Perili Köşk.”

Noting that the closing of Art Center does not mean that Borusan will not support contemporary art, Erenli said they would have new supporting events and programs. The museum, for example, has just developed an exclusive program for children. “So far the museum has received very good feedback. You know the museum has been open for only two days and the visitor figure is high.”

Borusan has other plans, such as museum studies, but it is not yet certain, he said.

Music House is currently hosting the latest exhibition by Art Center artists. The exhibition, “Untold Unwritten: The Fourth Show,” is curated by Necmi Sönmez. The exhibition, which will be the last exhibition at Music House, is open until March 6.

“Then we will close the Art Center building, which is in Taksim, and Music House will only be used for music events.”
Noting that the most important thing for Music House is youth, Erenli said the venue hosted many young audiences. “Mostly young people come to our concerts. Mainly conservatoire students.”

Classical music is not the main focus of Music House. “People who like to listen to classical music do not want to come to Taksim on weekends. However young people frequent Music House.” That’s why the team started to make events for young people. One example was the New Sounds of Berlin project, which is part of a music series, he added.

“We started with RADIALSYSTEM V, and the concert was very well received.”

RADIALSYSTEM V is a creative space for the arts in Berlin. Formerly a turn-of-the-century pumping station for the Berlin Wasserwerke (Berlin Waterworks), RADIALSYSTEM V – situated in the urban center of Berlin between Friedrichshain, Mitte and Kreuzberg – currently functions as a cultural center where new ideas “radiate” out in all directions, attracting artists and the public from within as well as beyond the city limits of Berlin. Borusan has started to work with RADIALSYSTEM V, with which it will organize a total of six concerts.

Speaking about the current transformation of Taksim and how it will affect life generally on İstiklal Avenue, Erenli said Taksim really needed a renewal. “I do not think that it will affect the cultural institutions here.”

There will be new developments at Borusan. Each year a book on music will be translated for conservatoires to benefit from. This will be done with the cooperation of Yapı Kredi Culture and Art. While music events will be continuing as in the past, other contemporary art events will be a part of the museum.