Much more than a gallery

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The Per-so-na project works toward becoming an open publication source. The first guest of the project, Bora Başkan’s exhibit ‘Cohesive’ brings together drawings, digital prints and canvases in which the artist portrays abstracts of the concept of power.

At first glance, Per-so-na looks like just another art gallery, but it’s not. As an initiative by Pakt Design and Project Office founded by Yetkin Başarır, Çağlar Kanzık and Ali Kabaş the space is an interdisciplinary exhibition network, which aspires to document multi-disciplinary works by productive names in culture and art scene in İstanbul.

Per-so-na aims to develop new exhibition methods for artists with diverse and multi-dimensional practices by examining the existing practices of presentation in the fields of arts and culture. Per-so-na exhibits and documents the inspirations of artists’ which affect their being and periods of production with an editorial attitude. The project works toward becoming an open publication source, a type of archive. The founders of Per-so-na refer to eight different means of display when talking about new exhibition methods.

The first means of display defined by Başarır, Kanzık and Kabaş is called GÖZ, meaning eye in Turkish. Here, the artist compiles a unique visual climate. Images of personal value regarding the artist’s past and creative processes are put together. All sorts of visual code which inspires, define or delights the artist may take place in GÖZ.

Next is SER-Gİ, meaning exhibition, where works of art are exhibited indoors with a holistic and interdisciplinary approach.

At KO-NUŞ-MA, or talk, the artist talks with guests they or Per-so-na have invited in front of an audience. A visual recording of the talk is archived at the gallery.

At BES-LE-ME, meaning feed, the artist shares actual or artistic news and upcoming projects as a sort of news feed.

HA-Rİ-TA, which translates to map, is a version or an add-on of the GÖZ. In this means of display the artist creates tangible or intangible schemas that define himself, including but not limited to abstract aspects of his life, like the school of thought and philosophy and his own influences or concrete things like the city he was born in or the schools he attended or the important places in his life and creates a map.

PER-FOR-MANS, performance) is where the artist documents all kinds of performance pieces.
In RÖ-POR-TAJ, or interview, the interviews are done on a face-to-face basis via people selected specifically for the artist with the intent of examining various topics about the artist’s personal life, feelings and ideas in depth.

Everything that’s been done, thought, written or performed in the public sphere, whether in the streets or walls, be interactive or not, is documented as video, photography or text at KA-MU-SAL, which means public.

The first guest

Bora Başkan is the first guest of Per-so-na’s activities. Başkan’s first solo exhibition “Cohesive” will be open till June 23. It brings together drawings, digital prints and canvases in which the artist portrays abstracts of the concept of power.

Başkan’s images of power, which are derived from Deleuze’s readings of Spinoza, are monolithic structures that join together different pieces and organisms, which connect the individuals to power on a social level.