Memory and Art Talks is a commentary on human rights violations in Turkey through the lens of relevant artworks. The project consists of research on a collection of artworks, along with a public discussion program and a publication that revolves around that selection.
Objective
We aim to bring together individuals working in the fields of social memory, human rights struggle, and art within this framework, contributing to the creation of a new language through the exchange of different disciplines, exploring possibilities for creative discussions, and making productions related to memory visible to diverse audiences. Additionally, we hope to contribute to the understanding of the collective memory regarding the systematic perpetuation of human rights violations in Turkey by reinterpreting the social, political, and artistic context within which artworks were created or addressed.
Rationale
We aim to bring together individuals working in the fields of social memory, human rights struggle, and art within this framework, contributing to the creation of a new language through the exchange of different disciplines, exploring possibilities for creative discussions, and making productions related to memory visible to diverse audiences. Additionally, we hope to contribute to the understanding of the collective memory regarding the systematic perpetuation of human rights violations in Turkey by reinterpreting the social, political, and artistic context within which artworks were created or addressed.
Activities
Research
The first phase of the project was realized through the scanning of artworks produced on the theme of social memory and exhibited or showcased in Turkey between 2000 and 2019, within the context of human rights issues. A three-person research team scanned a total of 1670 exhibitions and displays from 40 institutions/organizations during this phase. The scanning activity also involved compiling works that met previously established criteria, resulting in the creation of a selection comprising information on over 400 art pieces.
Public talks and publication
In the subsequent phase, the selected art pieces were evaluated and the potential they offered for a public discussion was explored within the framework of five different working groups, consisting of fifteen participants from civil society, art, and academia, who were invited for this purpose. Between December 16th and 25th, 2020, the team that evaluated the selection publicized the discussions by including the contributions and comments of the participants in an online speech series conducted due to the pandemic. Following this event, the presentations prepared by the speakers were compiled, and a publication titled Talks on Memory and Art 2020 was created.
Below public discussions are available only in Turkish.
- Talks on Memory and Arts # 1 | Banu Karaca, Nora Tataryan, Tanıl Bora | December 16th, 2020
- Talks on Memory and Arts # 2 | Zeynep Günsür, Özlem Hemiş, Aslı Zengin | December 19th, 2020
- Talks on Memory and Arts # 3 | Dilan Yıldırım, Umut Tümay Arslan, Zeynep Sayın | December 22nd, 2020
- Talks on Memory and Arts # 4 | Ege Berensel, Begüm Özden, Banu Cennetoğlu | December 23rd, 2020
- Talks on Memory and Arts # 5 | Erden Kosova, Ezgi Bakçay, Turgut Tarhanlı | December 25th, 2020
► Visit the project website. (in Turkish)
► Read the publication. (in English)
