Connect the Dots Exhbition at Hafriyat, Istanbul

I am participating in the Connect the Dots exhibition (Feb 16, Saturday) with a piece from the Meta-Control set. The exhibition will take place at Hafriyat in Karaköy, Istanbul. Hafriyat, the name of an independent civilian group movement and the name of their space, means “excavation” in English.

I’ve first been to Hafriyat for a poster exhibition titled Allah Korkusu (“The Fear of God”) in November 2007. It was the most radical taboo breaking group of work I’ve seen in Turkey (video from the show). By putting a critique of Islam and Ataturk out, the artists put their lives at risk. This may not mean much in the so called western world (critique != life thread), but in the Hafriyat opening I was worried that the place will be bombed by some radical islamists in a second or so. After some time we got the police force “in” the gallery. They came to “secure” the gallery they said, however the police themselves were aroused by the show.

Connect the Dots show is about drawing, not a big thread for status quo it seems. Here is the announcement:

Connect the Dots at Hafriyat Karaköy.
February 16 – March 9, 2008
Opening at 18:30

Organized by Koray Kantarcioglu, the exhibition brings together 16 artists and contains work which departs from the idea of understanding the line as an independent visual unit and manipulating it as a unique form of expression. The exhibition also displays a varied and laid-back attitude in the production and exhibition of the works: from the use of fabric, paper, screens, walls and wallpaper to paint, ink, the pixel and the biro.The same attitude pervades the conceptual framework of the exhibition: open-ended, these works are not preoccupied with completeness, they have no singular destination.

The opening of the exhibition will feature a performance by Nazim Dikbas But It Doesn’t Look Like Me. A sentiment often expressed by people when their portrait is made by aspiring illustrators, Dikbas will attempt to draw attention to further aspects of the act and product of drawing.

Participants:

Aksel Zeydan Göz
Alina Viola Grumiller
Bora Baskan, http://borabaskan.blogspot.com
Burak Arikan, http://burak-arikan.com
Cem Dinlenmis, http://cemdinlenmis.deviantart.com
Erlea Maneros
Ekin Saçlioglu
Erkin Gören, http://erkingoren.com
Erdem Ergaz
Gözen Atila
Günes Terkol
Inci Furni, Bio
Klaustro, http://myspace.com/klasor
Koray Kantarcioglu, http://www.koraykantarcioglu.com
Mihda Koray, http://myspace.com/mihdakoray
Nazim Dikbas, http://www.extramucadele.com