RHYTHM SECTION UTOPIA
Istanbul Art Fair Tüyap
November 4 – 12 2017
Anneke Bosma
Karina Bugayova
Christoph Dahlhausen
Iemke van Dijk
Daniel Geiger
Lon Godin
Dmytro Goncharenko
Michael Graeve
Henriëtte van ‘t Hoog
Oleksiy Koval
Markus Krug
Xiao Tang
Veronika Wenger
Michael Wright
curated by Ezgi Bakçay
Tüyap Fair Convention and Congress Center
Cumhuriyet Mahallesi Eski Hadımköy
Yolu Caddesi 9/1, 34500 Büyükçekmece – ISTANBUL
+90 (212) 867 11 00
Fax+90 (212) 886 66 98
http://tuyap.com.tr/
Invitation to ARTIST 2017 Realist UTOPIAS
The world has seen worse.
It has been through centuries of terror.
But even in the twilight of history, there was always hope that things would become better.
Yet today, we live in an age that is defined by historical amnesia, where both the past and an imagined future are oppressed more severely than ever before.
The unique dynamic of the 21st century seems to be the devaluation of the utopian.
As the face of the age darkens, one question becomes imperative:
Is it not possible to defend a style of utopian thinking that will liberate the desire to rebuild everyday life from ideological and instrumental persecution?
Can utopia not be defended again in the sense of discussing alternative social lives?
Politics and art aside, we cannot let go of a utopian motive that protects the productive distance between life and dream to keep the “hope principle” alive.
Utopian literature, as a rich resource that heralds a yet-unbuilt future without sacrificing or falling captive to the present, awaits to be rediscovered.
ARTIST 2017 / 27th
Istanbul Art Fair deals with utopias under three categories: historical, conceptual and actual.
We embark upon an expedition to utopias with exhibitions, concerts, performances, discussions, workshops, screenings and publications.
We reach from 13th century Anatolian dervishes and Şeyh Bedreddin to the Soviet Avant-garde, from cyborgs and science fiction to alternative economies, ecological movements, and pedagogic experiences.
We discuss the political aspects of the different concepts of temporality borne by utopia.
We try to comprehend the perception of history today that makes utopias impossible.
We call for discussions of utopia as a concept across relationships of nostalgia and freedom, politics and esthetics, art and design.
“Realist Utopias” have room for production and consumption cooperatives that have become more important amidst waves of financial crises, queer and feminist lifestyles, and utopias that breathe in the body and nature.
Once again, Tüyap prepares to become a sensory public sphere that is free of leadership, where imagination and conflict thrive.
It builds a team play that is not after economic or symbolic profit.
It seeks to utilize the physical advantages of the venue to expand the boundaries of discussion.
Between November 4th and 12th, we invite everyone to collectively produce a trans-boundary experience space, where utopias are liberated from nostalgia, moral high grounds, populist propaganda, and hopelessness.
Oleksiy Koval 