ArtClue EASTERN EUROPE ART MAGAZINE

Goals & reality of the most up growing art society in the past few years 

Pop-up Q&A for 5 young Turkish artists

Facing my recent research concerning the Eastern European art market and what should be and totally isn't its center: the artist, I springed some flash questions to 5 young, succesful and even-aged Turkish artists. Why? Because I wanted to create a wider look on the subject, and especially because one rarely has the chance to really get along with an artist's thaughts while he's still fresh. It's almost like an artisty private sneek preview. On the first impulse, the questions may seem quite empirical, but the expected result leads to a simple, clean answer: al the paths are good as long as you're enjoying your demarche, and in arts, this is the only key to hit in order to matter.

You stepped into the art world with hopes and goals. How many of them have fulfilled?

Baysan Yuksel: My biggest hope was to share. I can not say that it is fulfilled, and maybe it will never be. The world is large. But I might say that I’m happy, it’s happening and sometimes I cannot even control it.

Ozgür Erman: Very little of them, so far. I’ve got so many things to do, so many projects and dreams, and as the life goes on many of them keep adding on.

Songül Boyraz: The beginning was studying art. Of course, I am enrolled into this process now and for me, there is no ending point for goals and hopes. I just try to continue working and I follow what' happening. 

Denız Sözen: I studied art because I was passionate about making art and I wanted to further explore my creative potential. I did not have any particular goal to begin with. However I am glad that my works have been shown in international festivals and exciting contexts, e.g. the Diagonale, Austrian Festival for Film, the Visual Arts Platform, ACF London and  at "Living Across – Spaces of Migration", group exhibition (cat.), curated by Christian Kravagna, x:hibit, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, 2010.

Damla Özdemir: Actually I didn't determine any goals or hopes… My process to be stepped into artworld, was like to express my inner self only.  After a little while i could have some hopes about my art and basically now I feel satisfied about it.

How do you feel about Turkey's art trajectory? Why did you stayed/left your country? 

B.Y.: It is getting better each day. It would be finer when copyrights are taken seriously. I’m staying for now but maybe I will leave someday and comeback again. There is not just one reason for that. For now I’m happy where I stay, who knows what tomorrow brings.

O.E.: I do not like it in so many ways, but also there are lots of things I love about my country, especially İstanbul, where I live right now. There are a lot of people I know who want to leave the country because of similar reasons. We have no full freedom of expressing ourselves and it’s hard to gain your life with what you do in art world…etc. These kinds of things are making people wanting to leave the country. But not me, not at the moment. I got so many things to do in here. I love the mood in here now.

S.B.: Art in Turkey is getting more attractive since almost 10 years. I left the country due to a Summer Residency and followed next to study in Austriaat the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. To me it’s interesting to live and work in both cities- Istanbul and Vienna.

D.S.: It was never my decision to leave Turkey. I had to leave at the age of nine because my parents thought it would be better if I went to school in Austria. I am afraid I am not very familiar with the Turkish art scene.

D.O.: Ok, in Turkey the art world is really developing. Especially for the young artists… But one should be honest This means art is becoming a sector now… But you can see also trashiness as an art audience or as an artist… Lots of people do their art for only getting some credits or labels…

As an artist, do you get to live by selling your works?

B.Y.: I just started to, I might say.

O.E.:  Not that I really tried, but I earn from my work time to time. I work as a Texture Artist in a film production company at the moment, I earn my living. So I don’t see my art work as a commercial issue, I mean selling artwork is not the priority for doing art for me. My first goal of doing artwork is reaching more people who understand my work.

S.B.: I cannot live by selling my works. That's why I’m working as assistant for Franz West.

D.S.: No. To be honest I never pushed to be part of the art market. I work in the field of gallery education, where I realize participatory projects using digital media. Also I have been working as a tutor in time-based media at the Academy of Arts in Linz, Austria. Right now I am working as a researcher at the Zurich University of Arts, CH in cooperation with Museum Rietberg.

D.O.: Of course not I explained the situation of art in Turkey. So I work at Greenpeace to earn money… I usually join at some exhibitions. Nevertheless, it is never enough, if you don't care for labels…

Interview: Silvia Pintilie

Baysan Yuksel

Ozgür Erman

Songül Boyraz

Denız Sözen 

My visit of Aziziye Mosque / Astra Cinema by Suzan Dennis from deniz soezen on Vimeo.

Damla Özdemir