“Visitors” International Video Art Activity

Exhibition: 14-15 May 2010

Curator: Şinasi GüneşAssistant Curator: Özgen Yıldırım

Participating Artists:Tintin Cooper (UK) Alamtini 02.24Agricola de Cologne (Germany) Orfeo Negro 4:20
Deng Da Fei (Chine) China Astronaut 07:26
Werther Germondari (Italy) Office 03:15
Silvio Javier De Gracia (Arjantine) Ego 00:45Sylvia Winkler & Stephan Koperl (Germany) Metro Mexico 02:40
Alberto Magrin (Italy) Mary's House 03:00
Gruppo Sinestetico (Italy) Cencored 02:30
Jerome Symons (Netherlands) How can I forget you? 03:00
Andres Weberg (Sweden) For Sore Eyes 02:17
Niki Sehmi (UK) Desecration 03:08Şinasi Güneş (Turkey) Gicir 03:03
Exhibition Place: Erkan Yavuz Experimental Art Workshop (Municipal Center) /Canakkale-TurkeyExhibition Hours: 07.00-08.30 PM
sinasig@gmail.com
http://visitors-videoart.blogspot.com/
http://www.canakkale2010.org/
On the “Visitors” International Video Art Activity
Sinasi Gunes
While many projects are implemented in the context of Cultural Capital Istanbul 2010, within the series of activities "Canakkale 2010" as parallel are organized within the various projects. With me as curator, one of that projects of “Visitors” international video art activity took place in the Erkan Yavuz Experimental Art Workshop between May 14 to 15. As a result of meticulous working of my assistant Ozgen Yildirim and me together was predetermined 12 video art works of 15 artist from Britain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, China, Argentina and Sweden. Preparing this selection, mainly prefered the performance videos. The aim was to create an energetic atmosphere of performance art to move the driving force of art and its exciting.
“Visitors” International Video Art Activity contains the works of 12 video artists: Agricola de Cologne, Alberto Magrin, Anders Weberg, Deng Da Fei, Gruppo Sinestetico, Jerome Symons, Niki Sehmi, Silvio De Gracia, Sylvia Winkler & Stephan Koperl, Tintin Cooper, Sinasi Gunes and Werther Germondari.
Agricola de Cologne re-interpreties “Black Orfe” as a film of the classic fantasy cinema production of 1959, with which simultaneous streaming video work consisting of two different images. That film is characterized as an example of a revolutionary cinema because of acting only blacks in time, it takes place in a world of contemporary art with adapted to new form.
Yet another Italian artist Alberto Magrin’s the title of the video which “Mary’s House” is probably the most simple and romantic video of the activity. Accompanied by a romantic music, the figure of a man who is trying to reach towards the island but floating in the same place is nearly fascinates to audiences.
Swedish Artist Anders Weberg describes underwater as an area of applied the gender and patriarchal. It is a death to stay underwater for woman, trying to breathe is a step for the freedom. Artist, creates a very strong aesthetic images, while she uses the female body under the water between life and death.
Chinese artist Deng Da Fei who uses his legs is pushing the plush ball backwards in the “China Astronaut” performance video. Artist continues this difficult march in the town square for minutes.
Italian Gruppo Sinestetico consists of 3 artists are censoring expressions and act of living in their performance video which will be exhibited in “Visitors”. They criticize the censors who are not afraid of anything other than their own desire and trying to control the perception. They censored themselves therefore they empty inside of meaning.
Dutch artist Jerome Symons reftlects to the feelings of separation and love between two lovers with the image of woman who is painting her face in advertising boards. As the man tries to forget the pain of separation, it is slapped to him was reflected the lover's face in advertising images. In the background, flowing in the same rhythm of the heartbeat is indication of life continues.
British artist Niki Sehmi is displayed 2 balloons in which filled the water constantly moving with a knife which is directed to help the aparatus. In this view, it is revealed psychological dimension of the relationship between the attacker and the victim. Victims are in a passive resistance. Result of the attack is certain, it is inevitable. In his perfotmance video,
Argentine artist Silvio De Gracia is inflating a balloon on which writing “ego” and then it bursted. Artist refers to factors of realizing the ego satisfaction with blowing breath into the balloon while he identified with human ego to inflated a balloon.
Duo of German artists Sylvia Winkler & Stephan Koeperl is known making their performance videos over many parts of the world. Artists give people 5 peso in subway in Sylvia Winkler & Stephan Koeperl’s “Metro Mexico” . Artists reverse perception of giving money in daily life.
It is possible to see traces of the ongoing conceptual art in Sinasi Gunes’s video. Guitar is cleaned with a cloth. It is discovered musical sound when the guitar is cleaned. Cleaning action as an routine of everyday life is transformed to an artistic performance by artist. The cloth looks like a guitar plectrum.British artist
Tintin Cooper refers to Middle East culture with ironically direction in charcoal hand drawn animation. Arabesque music has been used here as a conjunction.
In him“Office” performance study, Italian artist Werther Germondari gets to the camera constantly rotating on chair to him and chair's legs, he is taken to the camera himself at the same time. It is observed to observer and obsevation thing together in this video.
"Visitors” International Video Art Activity will be criticism occasion the Turkish video art compared with external world productions, video art products in the outside world by providing access to Canakkale art audience in common creating a serious contribution in the context of video art. Sinasi Gunes
“Visitors” International Video Art ActivityThe artists visit to Canakkale with Video-art Works, they make a mark on the city's cultural fabric a lot. Each of the one changes there, makes it different, resident perceptions undermine and opens the door to a new dialogue. International artists produced all work/video in own culture and they pass from inside the door of dialogue. Memory of this encounter with visitors is an important step on behalf of fusion and with coming together other cultures to culture of the city.