YARAT & YAY Gallery announce first invlovement in Contemporary Istanbul 2014
13 Nov - 16 Nov 14
YARAT presents work by Orkhan Huseynov
Booth IKM 807
YARAT, a not-for-profit contemporary art organisation based in Baku, Azerbaijan, is delighted to announce participation in Contemporary Istanbul International Art Fair in November 2014. The presentation will feature a video work from 2007 by Orkhan Huseynov (b. 1978) entitled War on 30th February, an exploration of depictions of conflict within the media.
Huseynov’s presentation is part of the non-profit section of the fair which will feature thirteen invited art organisations this year. For War on 30th February, Huseynov created 'documentary' footage of a war that never happened. The artist combines hazy images of Baku’s industrial district with an explosive soundscape imitating that of films shot by war reporters or eyewitnesses. The work explores the falsities inherent within the editing process, calling into question the veracity of film-based media. By referencing a date that does not exist, the title reflects the fact that the footage references an event that has been created by the artist.
Orkhan Huseynov, who lives and works in Baku, is part of a generation of Azerbaijani artists that has gained recognition in recent years. He has worked with YARAT on numerous projects since its foundation in 2011, including Love Me, Love Me Not at the Venice Biennale in 2013. In 2014 Huseynov’s work was selected by Slavs and Tatars for Art Dubai’s Marker section for non-profits and his work featured in Vienna Fair’s Focus exhibition for non-profits in 2014.
YARAT will have a second project at Contemporary Istanbul through their social enterprise YAY Gallery. The gallery was founded by YARAT in 2012 and exhibits work by pioneering Azerbaijani and international artists. The proceeds of sales are shared between the artists and YARAT's varied projects. YAY Gallery’s stand will feature a photographic series by artist Sanan Aleskerov and sculptures by artist Chingiz Babayev.
YAY Gallery is pleased to announce its participation for the first time in Contemporary Istanbul 2014.
The gallery, based in Baku, Azerbaijan, will present work by two Azerbaijani artists: new sculptures by Chingiz Babayev and a recent photographic series by Sanan Aleskerov. YAY Gallery is dedicated to showing work by pioneering contemporary artists, both from Azerbaijan and abroad.
Chingiz Babayev’s four large-scale sculptures have been specially commissioned for the fair. Made out of wax, the sculptures are improvised, with elements that resemble knuckles and fingers. The artist was trained in Socialist Realism during the Soviet era and he sees the hand as a symbolic subject, as a reference to the ‘manual’ labourer repeatedly depicted in art of that period. By deconstructing the hand’s elements the artist addresses its past symbolism. Chingiz Babayev is a multi-disciplinary artist, working in sculpture, painting, drawing, installation, video and performance. He represented his country at the Azerbaijan Pavilion for the Venice Biennale in 2007 and 2013. In 2013 he was commissioned by YARAT to create a public art project for the 2nd Baku Public Art Festival.
Sanan Aleskerov is showing six photographic works from his series The Transparency of Simplicity. The series is concerned with the rapidly shifting urban environment of Azerbaijan and takes ordinary objects, such as a plant, a children’s slide, or a wall, as its focus. Aleskerov manipulates the photographs to make them appear worn or sun-damaged, suggesting a sense of nostalgia toward the present-day environment, which is soon to disappear as Baku, a city with an ancient history, undergoes rapid development. Aleskerov represented his country at the Venice Biennale’s Azerbaijan Pavilion in both 2007 and 2013. In 2014 he presented work at Vienna Fair’s Focus exhibition dedicated to Azerbaijan. In 2013 he showed this work at the solo exhibition Transparency of Simplicity at YAY Gallery.
The 9th edition of Contemporary Istanbul, the leading international art fair that draws attention to the dynamic art scene of this unique metropolis, will take place from 13th to 16th November 2014 at the Istanbul Congress Centre (ICC) and the Istanbul Convention and Exhibition Centre (ICEC).
New Horizons, a section of Contemporary Istanbul which offers an annual focus of contemporary art from a selected geographic region will this year put a spotlight on China. For the second year running an addition to the fair is the Plug-In New Media Section, dedicated to showcasing digital art in a 1000 square-metre area next to the main exhibition space. A comprehensive CI Dialogues programme of talks and conferences will complement the second year of Plug-In Istanbul and New Horizons.
Dates
Preview (by invitation only): 12 Nov 2014:
Public Visit (open to everyone): 13 > 16 Nov 2014
Visiting Hours
13 > 16 Nov 2014, 11:00 - 20:00
Admission
General: 20,00 TL (approx. 7 EUR
Students:n 12,00 TL (approx. 4 EUR)
