Sculptors under age of 40 on terrace exhibitions across Istanbul

Hatice Utkan

Thirty-two sculptors’ works have been selected for this year’s Terrace Exhibitions.

Istanbul’s Proje4L Contemporary Art Museum, also known as Elgiz Museum, has opened its season with Terrace Exhibitions. Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News, director of the museum Billur Tansel said the terrace exhibitions have become a traditional event for the summer months.

Tansel said the terrace exhibitions began in 2012 and this year’s will be the third in the “Terrace Exhibitions” series. The exhibition shows the works of sculptors under the age of 40. Thirty-two sculptors’ works have been selected for this year’s Terrace Exhibitions. The exhibition, which opened June 18, will continue until Aug. 23.

The participants of this year’s exhibition include: Ahmet Özparlak, Ali Alizadeh, Aycan Güler, Ayşe Sultan Babayiğit, Bahadır Çolak, Bestami Gerekli, Caner Şengünalp, Çağdaş Erçelik, ÇayanYılmaz, Derya Özparlak, Esra Sağlık, Giorgia Razzetta, Güray Morgül, Güzin Merve Özgören, Hakan Bakır, Hakan Çınar, Halil Daşkesen, Hande Şekerciler, İmdat Avcı, Kutlu Alican Düzel, Mahmut Aydın, Meliha Sözeri, Nihan Gündüzalp Ölmez, Orkide Akkoç Sabit, Ramazan Duymaz, Saim Cem Arıkan, Şenay Ulusoy, Tanzer Arığ, Tuğberk Selçuk, Turgay Topçu, Uğur Hasekin and Ümit Turgay Durgun.

In 2013, Australian sculptor Andrew Rogers contributed as a guest committee member, raising the series to an international level. And this year, two artists have been invited to exhibit their works at the “La Balade de Séprais” in the Jura region of Switzerland.

Location of the museum

“Elgiz Museum was founded in the middle of Istanbul’s skyscrapers. Our aim is to attract the working people in those plazas,” said Tansel. In the shadows of the skyscrapers and in the surroundings that are constantly changing, spectators can view art from a different perspective.

To make an interactive event, the museum also hosts a two-day event, titled: “Artistic Mind Fitness.” In this event, which started yesterday and continues today, the participants try to answer questions such as: what do I have to do when I stand in front of a work of art? What do I have to look for? What can I learn from looking at artwork?

“This will be a question to help people that are new to the field gain a deeper understanding of the role artwork can play as a learning tool for daily life. The event aims to create a strong link between participants and the artwork and link these two elements to life and business. The participants will be involved in an active search of meaning of the artwork, exploring guesses, debating the artists’ motives.”

While the museum is trying to attract people to the exhibitions after they finish work, Tansel said it is also very important to reach a younger audience. And for that aim, they are using social media tools, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

As a museum director, Tansel said “a museum, in fact, all cultural institutions, needs support from municipalities. The museum sometimes receives support from municipalities, however, this is not enough and support should not be a one-time aid,” she said. “Because we are running a non-profit organization and every non-profit organization needs support. This should be done for the sake of culture and development,” she added.

The museum also runs a program with the Swiss and Spanish consulates in Istanbul. The aim is to present the works of foreign artists in the Elgiz Collection. “The next event will be with the Spanish consulate,” Tansel said.