Two artists share first Full Art Prize

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Işıl Eğrikavuk (R) and Aslı Çavuşoğlu (L) become the winners of Turkey’s first cotentemporary art prize.

The Full Art Prize, the first contemporary art prize of Turkey, announced its winners last night. Artists Aslı Çavuşoğlu and Işıl Eğrikavuk were chosen among 13 semi-finalists to share the grand prize. Cengiz Tekin received the supporting prize, which was determined by a public vote.

 “Supporting art cannot only be done by buying an art piece and hanging it on the wall. The support should also cover the creative process of the artist,” said Eğrikavuk.

Performance artist Eğrikavuk aims to highlight the fine line between fiction and reality in her work. She begins by writing a script, which becomes the centerpiece of her performance. With that script she develops a tale. Eğrikavuk follows the news closely due to her second occupation in journalism. Her main concern is storytelling and she is interested in telling the more invisible and human side of the news. Recently, Eğrikavuk performed a fictional talk show discussing the changes to Taksim Square as a semifictional urban transformation project. The project focused on the real social change and transformation that Taksim is currently undergoing as a result of the Arab Spring. The semifinalists were selected from some 300 applications and their work was voted on by the public through the Full Art Prize website.

The Full Art Prize, supported by the Ar Company Group, aims to open new pathways for young artists under the age of 40.

A jury composed of journalist and critic Evrim Altuğ, artist Gülsün Karamustafa, SALT Research and Programs Director Vasıf Kortun, the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts Director Bige Öreri, Borusan Holding CEO Agah Uğur and Ar Company Group CEO Hüseyin Arslan selected the semi-finalists, which included Alper Aydın, Çavuşoğlu, Burak Delier, Elmas Deniz, Eğrikavuk, Özgür Erkök, Mehmet Fahracı, Zeren Göktan, Borga Kantürk, Tayfun Serttaş, Tekin, Serkan Taycan and Gözde Türkkan.