Under the Radar: 5533 at ISCP

About

- Opening Reception: Tuesday, October 30, 6–8pm

ISCP has hosted an annual institution-in-residence since 2011. This kind of residency was initiated to support cultural exchange by bringing an international perspective to a local context. This year, ISCP has invited 5533, an Istanbul-based independent space founded in 2007. 5533 will be in residence at ISCP from October 30, 2018 through January 25, 2019 and will present an exhibition and a series of public programs during this time.

Co-founded in 2007 by Nancy Atakan and Volkan Aslan, 5533 aims to establish, within the Istanbul art context, a space to bring together people from different locations, disciplines, occupations, and backgrounds to create alternative models in the art context. They initiate contemporary art projects based on art-related research, critical reflection, dialogue, collaboration, interaction, discussion, and sharing. Having selected a modus operandi that gives freedom for experimentation without fear of failure, 5533 functions without an official status, sponsors, or long-term plans.

For the three months that 5533 is in residence at ISCP, Aslan and Atakan will initiate an on-site project involving several components, that will simulate 5533’s Istanbul space. Much of the project will reflect on the past, while highlighting the current artistic and social atmosphere in Turkey. With the looming specter of censorship, 5533 always aims to remain under the radar.

The exhibition, titled Under the Radar: 5533 at ISCP, will feature 5533’s archives, a selection of 5533-produced videos and several new commissions throughout the duration of their residency. In addition, two historical photographs from 1938 and 1960 will be presented, pointing to the current political situation in Turkey and the past as well. A nearby area will be used as a rotating project space, with three different  presentations. The first will be an exhibition by Gözde Ilkin, followed by a solo presentation by Burak Arıkan and lastly, a collaborative exhibition by Nancy Atakan and Merve Ünsal. A new commission by Yuri will remain in the project space throughout the three exhibitions.

The exhibition will be augmented by public programs throughout the Fall including artist talks and lectures. These will include the Sen ve Ben5533 Project (You and I 5533 Project) designed by Merve Ünsal and Nancy Atakan, that will bring together the New York Turkish community with ISCP residents to realize projects, collaborations, or events that promote sharing, interaction, discussion and dialogue within 5533 at ISCP.

5533 public program schedule at ISCP:

• November 6, 2018, 6:30–8pm: Lecture on 5533 by Nancy Atakan and Volkan Aslan moderated by Istanbul-based curator and director of Protocinema, Mari Spirito
• December 4, 2018, 6:30–8pm: Event with Burak Arıkan
• December 18, 2018, 6:30–8pm: Sen ve Ben Evening
• January 22, 2019, 6:30–8pm: Sen ve Ben Evening

Institutional Residents and Exhibiting Artist Biographical Information:

Burak Arıkan is a New York and Istanbul based artist working with complex networks. He reshapes social, economic, and political issues into network maps, algorithmic interfaces and performances, ultimately rendering inherent power relationships visible and discussable. Arikan’s software, prints, installations, and performances have been featured in numerous exhibitions internationally. He is the founder of Graph Commons, a collaborative platform for mapping, analyzing, and publishing data-networks.

Volkan Aslan lives and works in Istanbul, and is the co-founder of 5533. Working with a wide range of materials and media, his recent practice deals with the perception of time and memory, infusing his work with both personal associations and unexpected interpretations. Recent major exhibitions include Shoot me! Don’t turn me over!, Pi Artworks, Istanbul, 2018; A Good Neighbour, 15th Istanbul Biennial, 2017; Passion, Joy, Fury, MAXXI, Rome, 2015; and A Day Not Yet Lived, Pi Artworks London, 2014.

Nancy Atakan, co-founder of 5533, has been a fixture in the Istanbul arts scene for over 40 years, as an artist, teacher, art historian, and art critic. Her multimedia practice concentrates on the relationship between image and word, the meaning of belonging, gender politics, and globalization, particularly in the context of Istanbul. Recent exhibitions include Marking a Shift, Nordic Art Association, Stockholm; Community of Lines, Pi Artworks, Istanbul, 2017; and Sporting Chances, Pi Artworks, London, 2016.

Gözde İlkin lives and works in Istanbul, Turkey. Working with stitching, drawing, painting, video and sound installations, İlkin constructs forms of confrontational interactions within the motifs of found domestic fabric. In the process, she refers to social and political relationships and concepts of manipulation, borders, power issues, gender attitudes, and urban transformation. İlkin exhibited work in the 15th Istanbul Biennial, 2017, and has been awarded a six-month residency at Pioneer Works, New York.

Merve Ünsal is a visual artist based in Istanbul. In her work, she employs text and photography, extending both beyond their form. She has participated in artist residencies at the University of Delaware, Lewes; Delfina Foundation, London; Praksis, Oslo; Banff Centre; Fogo Island Arts; and was a participant in the Homework Space Program 2014-15 at Ashkal Alwan, Beirut. Ünsal holds a MFA in Photography and Related Media from Parsons School of Design and a BA in Art and Archaeology from Princeton University. She is the founding editor of the artist-driven online publishing initiative m-est.org.

Yuri, an artist who goes by this name for the exhibition 5533 at ISCP, changes his practice for each project. For 5533 at ISCP, Yuri will make a wall painting to capture the memory of a space and transfer it to another. His paintings are minimal, usually a single color, but are also hyper-realistic and go beyond representation, claiming to recall the memory of the chosen space.

This program is supported, in part, by Greenwich Collection Ltd., New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Opening Reception: Oct 30, 2018, 6–8pm

Open Hours: Tuesday–Friday, 12–6pm