Love Over Entropy
Anna Laudel Istanbul welcomes spring with a new group exhibition that dives into the notion of mind in a time when beauty and consumer behaviors have become excessively standardized. Curated by Ayca Okay, the exhibition displays works by 19 artists, including Elcin Acun, Busra Cegil, Bahadir Colak, Zeren Goktan, Dincer Isgel, Hande Sekerciler and Aybala Yalcin, dancing around the theme of entropy, a word that’s defined as the randomness and disorder in a system. Featuring a selection of works in different mediums, including painting, photography, installation, video, sculpture and neon, Love Over Entropy draws inspiration from the idea of “everything that exists in the universe is doomed to disappear one day”. As such, it focuses on “the new designs of society and our relationship habits that are formed by the dynamics that we are in, rapidly changing or abandoning the concepts and values from the past”. In addition to questioning the potential and the pleasure created by the “mind”, the exhibition centers around the concept of sapiosexuality, meaning being sexually attracted to highly intelligent people. Artists reflect on this trend and how the mind has become an object of desire.
The exhibition is available to visit only through appointments due to COVID-19 measures. For appointments, visit: annalaudel.gallery/appointment.
Mark Eliyahu
Zorlu PSM will host Israeli musician Mark Eliyahu on March 12 as part of his Let it Go tour. Known for his work combining the East and the West, the famous kamancheh player will meet music lovers in Istanbul for a night of a fusion of traditional and futuristic music.
Tickets are available at passo.com.tr.
EXIT
Turkish artist Oguz Kaleli’s first solo exhibition in Istanbul greets visitors at Cam Gallery. Kaleli paints by merging a realistic style with spaces that arouse a feeling of dystopic impressions. Allowing visitors to experience contradicting emotions in the complication of his figures, Kaleli also touches upon romanticism.
The exhibition is available at Cam Gallery from Tuesday to Saturday between 11am and 6pm.
DEVIL CHILD
Ankara-based art gallery CerModern presents Turkish painter Engin Umer’s fourth solo exhibition. Umer draws attention to the character development of children, who gain value in a motionless, stable and limiting way after being exposed to violence. “While mothers, fathers, grandfathers, aunts, forest ghosts, the great djinn and the devil child are the characters of the fairy tale, the exhibition represents the child in the guise of monstrosity. The tale ends for now,” Umer explains.
The exhibition is available at CerModern from Tuesday to Sunday between 10am and 8pm.
AGAIN
Cemal Sureya Sergi ve Etkinlik Merkezi’s new group exhibition looks into the “new normal”, an aftermath of the pandemic and how it affected artists and their creative processes. Curated by Prof. Dr. Marcus Graf, Again presents the concepts of “new human”, “new city”, “new nature”, “new communication”, “new society” and “new art” through the works of 13 artists.
The exhibition is available at Cemal Sureya Sergi ve Etkinlik Merkezi from Monday to Friday between 8:30am and 5pm.
I HAVE A DREAM
Independent art gallery Artopol’s new group exhibition heralds the spring season. Curated by Hakan Kurklu, the
exhibition focuses on the concept of art, how it is created and how it is interpreted by the audience. A total of 11 artists come together in I Have a Dream, including Cansu Kahraman, Hulya Sozer, Sinem Kaya and Mahir Guven.
The exhibition is available at Artopol Gallery from Monday to Friday between 12pm and 6pm.
AK-SAYANLAR
x-ist welcomes a new exhibition titled Ak-sayanlar, a series which has been published periodically by contemporary art magazine Art Unlimited since 2017. Including works from 15 artists, the exhibition aims to bring forth new collaborations and working practices born of cooperation among artists from different disciplines. Curated by Merve Akar Akgun and Cinar Eslek, the exhibition also examines the possibilities of interdisciplinary inspiration and forms of association.
The exhibition is available at x-ist from Monday to Friday between 12pm and 6pm.
DYSTOPIA SOUND ART
Akbank Sanat brings international and Turkish artist in a new group exhibition. Curated by Selcuk Artut and Jeremy Woodruff, the works displayed at the exhibition draws attention to the dystopic features of the pandemic. Offering works from 15 artists including Alper Maral, Antye Greeie, Brandon LaBelle, Basar Under, Hans Peter Kuhn and Zafer Aracagok, the exhibition questions whether we are already live in a dystopia and if we gained anything from it.
The exhibition is available at Akbank Sanat from Tuesday to Friday between 12 pm and 5pm.
Milli Re Chamber Orchestra
Renowned violinist Cihat Askin joins the Milli Re Chamber Orchestra for a performance as part of Is Sanat’s online concert events. Conducted by Hakan Sensoy, Askin’s dreamy melodies meet the harmonies of the Milli Re Chamber Orchestra.
The concert will be available on Is Sanat’s Youtube channel on Thursday at 8:30pm.
THE WOMAN WHO RAN
Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Art (IKSV) is now offering the March selection of the Istanbul Film Festival. This week, the festival will screen Hong Sang-soo’s 2020 film The Woman Who Ran, the story of a woman named Gamhee, who meets three of her friends on the outskirts of Seoul while her husband is on a business trip. Things seem to be ordinary but there are “different currents flowing independently of each other, both above and below the surface.”
Tickets are available at filmonline.iksv.org
An Evening of Bach with Can Okan
Kadikoy municipality’s Yeldegirmeni Art Center continues to present jazz and classical musicians for music lovers. On March 17, Turkish pianist Can Okan will perform at the Yeldegirmeni Art Venue. Okan will commemorate Bach through his timeless compositions.
Tickets are available at bilet.kadikoy.bel.tr.
