We are proud to present to the public a work of art made by Public Art Laboratory (PAL) in collaboration with the Open Table Initiative and PACT (Participatory Art Community Turkiye). The satirical work trains a critical eye on the structural collapse of the Istanbul Foundation For Culture and Arts (IKSV), which was founded in 1973 and stewarded many other foundations.
The standards of society in Turkey have been rapidly declining and a primary reason for the decline is the disregard for assigning qualified individuals to key positions in major institutions and foundations that shape society. Accountability and transparency are no longer valued principles. Fewer and fewer programs are being offered in the increasingly restricted field of art and culture as the current political landscape is being redesigned.
When the curatorship of Defne Ayas was cancelled by the IKSV, the foundation failed to offer the public a clear explanation for the dismissal, trampling on the principles of merit and transparency. Once again it became clear how politics was playing a primary role in the art world in an effort to shape the dominant the political narrative.
As a member of ‘Open Non-governmental Agencies,’ the IKSV management must act in line with the principles of transparency and accountability. We would like to highlight the importance of the foundation in question, one that manages many different funds, including those linked to the EU: such a foundation is compelled to meet the standards of public accountability to avoid scrutiny in regard to its lack of transparency in the international arena. Furthermore, in an interview given on November 13th. General Manager of IKSV, Görgün Taner, stated his disregard for the criticism of those artists and art workers with past links to the foundation; his tone was both patronizing and threatening.
The IKSV must immediately attend to these deeply problematic choices. We would remind the foundation that their publicly announced transitional stage can only be achieved by developing policies that will elevate the free voices of art. In an effort to raise public awareness, Public Art Laboratory is presenting two satirical works of art entitled, This is not an Advertisement, which aims to criticize the IKSV management for instigating one of deepest crises in the history of Turkish art.
- Seeking an Unqualified Curator
- Seeking Unqualified Artists
Both advertisements contain 10 collectible coupons. In total 200 prints will be made, in both English and Turkish, which means a total of 2000 coupons will be available to the public. The artwork will be featured in exhibitions in both Turkey and in various countries around the world, in national and international art events, until September 12th, 2024.
Public Art Laboratory
PACT (Participatory Art Community Turkiye)
Open Table Initiative
