Degen N Ed the Market Whitechapel Documents of Contemporary Art 2013

Nathan Coley

Since the severe demonstrations in June at Taksim Square, Istanbul became one of the most prominent places of civil revolution. While outside Turkey, the riots accept been alleged as intellectual, even aesthetically creative revolts – a liberation from religious dogmas, from gentrification, from suppression and governmental power – within Turkey, the riots were condemned or concealed. Therefore the13th edition of the Istanbul Bienali was expected respond to the country'south political situation and to use the international attention to manifest a argument of freedom. But instead of a statement, we get a question: The title "MOM, AM I A Barbarian?", which is a quote that the curatorFulya Erdemci borrowed from the Turkish poet Lale Müldür, highlights the latent feeling that the Istanbul Bienale does not at all have as much freedom, as the private protesters at Gezi-Park. These, in turn, ironically reacted to the exhibition with signs saying " MOM, AM I Man".

One has to requite Erdemci credit for being most alarmingly predictive: more than than a half year before the riots started, she created a curatorial concept that focused on the democratization of the public domain, on the question of who owns the metropolis and on architectural borders. Initially the exhibition concept included Gezi-Park as one location of the bienali. By this time, nobody could take known that far-reaching street protests would anticipate any artistic idea presented in the secure walls of an institutional white cube. Somewhen Erdemci decided not to interfere in the scene of revolution and withdrew the park as a location of art. Simply while the free admission to each of the five exhibition spaces grants a larger audience, the lack of explanatory wall-texts makes it hard to access the language of contemporary art to many visitors. Wrapped in subtle art-codes – fromGordon Matta-Clark's 'Conical Intersect' (1975) piece in Paris, toMika Rottenberg's peachy nonsense-labour video 'Squeeze' (2010) – lots of the represented works seemed redundant, compared to the radical movements outside.

In 2 of the five exhibition spaces the comparing to the existent world – intended or not – is a role of the representation: At the four-floored ARTER space and at Salt, which are both in the middle of Beyoğlu's most crowded shopping street and very close to Takism Foursquare. ARTER has a strong focus on conceptual and photographic art. SALT, on the other hand, is dominated by the room-filling installation 'Market place or Dice' (2013) past the Argentinian artistDiego Bianchi.He created a giant surround, which simply copies the chaotic commerce atmosphere from the other side of the large shop windows. Hither, more than at any other Bienali space, the juxtaposition of reality and creative statement seems ridiculous.

Information technology conspicuously is a dilemma: Why should fine art demand to battle itself with reality? Some say that now is exactly the perfect moment for a political exhibition in Istanbul – I say its the absolute worst. No affair what and who would be shown inside institutional walls, in times like these information technology would e'er seem sectional and elitist. The main location Antrepo No.3, which lies in an industrial building correct at the Bosporus, fortunately makes employ of this dilemma. Information technology is the only space where art is given a sovereignty – where the exclusive location protects a political manifest. Here is the screening of 'Wonderland' (2013), a radical and brutal certificate of anger pastHalil Altındere. Altındereis i out of ten participating Turkish artists, the other 78 are imported.

Antrepo No.3 is also the place whereNathan Coley'due south wall sculpture 'Gathering of Strangers' (2007) glows in large colourful letters and could be understood as a slogan for both, the visitors of the Bienali and the protesters at Gezi-Park. The entrance of the building is visually blocked by a large brick wall by Mexican artistJorge Mendez Blake. Not later than here it is obvious that the 13. Istanbul Bienali intends to separate the inside (fine art) and the exterior (reality) from each other – for reasons of protection and for reasons of respect.

14 September – twenty October.

Antrepo no.iii;

Meclis-i Mebusan Caddesi

Liman İşletmeleri Sahası

34433 Tophane

Galata Greek Chief School;

Kemeraltı Cad. No: 49

34425 Karaköy Beyoğlu

ARTER;

Asmalı Mescit Mah.

İstiklal Caddesi No: 211

34433 Beyoğlu

SALT Beyoğlu;

Asmalı Mescit Mah.

İstiklal Cad. No:136

34430 Beyoğlu

5533;

İMÇ 5.Blok

5533 Unkapanı

The biennial venues Antrepo no.3, Galata Greek Main School, ARTER and SALT Beyoğlu are open up all weekdays except Mondays through fourteen September – 20 October. 5533 is airtight on Sundays.

Antrepo no.3, Galata Greek Primary School, ARTER and 5533 can exist visited between 10:00 - 19:00. Salt Beyoğlu can be visited between 12:00 - 20:00.

BY ANNA-LENA WERNER

Adam KokeschZbigniew LiberaCarla FilipeWouter Osterholt & Elke UitentuisJorge Mendez BlakeEntrance to Antrepo no.iii
All images: Courtesy the artists and/or their galleries; photos by artfridge

Mika RottenbergClaire PentecostJimmie DurhamHector ZamoraStephen WillatsMaider LopezBasel Abbas & Ruanne Abou-RahmeCinthia MarcelleDiego Bianchi at SALT spaceLutz Bacher