Parisian Artapot collective to liven up Turkish art scene

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Artapot aims to present quality paintings to people at an affordable price. A group of artists create paintings for companies and individuals.

Artapot, a Parisian collective of artists who are experienced visual art professionals seeking to promote a fun, witty, non-elitist approach to art, is now in Turkey. Founded by French Stephanie Triau and inspired by pop art, the collective seeks to enable all art lovers and collectors to reach quality paintings.

Art has become difficult to define away from its market value; it has become a commodity and its trade has reached the same volatility as the stock market. This is especially true about contemporary art.

The build-up of star galleries, star collectors and star museums through media and global coteries leaves a lot of people behind. Most art lovers can taste that idea of art in museums or public viewings at galleries or fairs, but they definitely feel like they cannot put it in their house.

Believing that being rich is not a must to enjoy or understand visual arts, Artapot attempts to brings quality paintings to people at an affordable price. The group’s works are presented through temporary exhibitions or on a one-on-one basis. They cater to the needs of individuals as well as brands or companies. Its collections are inspired by pop culture and resonate with the deepest emotions and memories.

The idea of affordable art is often marketed in connection with the concept of multiple print editions. Since the 19th century, this has often been a way for the collector to acquire a piece by a famous artist at a considerably lower value than an original work. These pieces rely on the usage of mechanical reproduction techniques and the supervision of the process or the result by the artist/creator, who signs and numbers the works. Artapot uses this idea, but also deals with artworks whose production is totally exempt from the mechanical process. The paintings it offers are hand-made by seasoned painters.

Big interest at Contemporary Istanbul

The founder of the collective, Stephanie Triau, attended the Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair in November 2010 and said that it received much more interest than expected. “During the fair, the Arpapot stand drew a lot of attention. Our artworks made many people smile. We really enjoyed presenting artworks to people at very affordable prices.”

Artapot’s paintings can be reached in its atelier in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş neighborhood, as well as in its Nişantaşı, BiberBar, PRfit-Bebek offices and through the website artapotgallery.com.