Titled “Octet: Selected Works from the School of Visual Arts,” the show features a variety of paintings, sculptures, photographs, installations and new media art by 66 artists. Curated by the school's Fine Arts Department Chair Suzanne Anker and İstanbul-born artist and faculty member Peter Hristoff, “Octet” presents an amalgam of stylistic concerns as a way to show the dynamic flow of advancing patterns within the visual arts today.The 110-piece exhibition is divided into eight thematic sections -- “Word and Image,” “Identity and Identity Politics,” “Post Pop Art and Tabloid Culture,” “The Corporeal and Divine,” “Material Matters,” “Narrative Imperatives,” “World Dramas” and “Relational Aesthetics” -- hence the title “Octet.”
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday at the museum, curator Anker said the exhibition could be seen as representative of the state of contemporary art in the world since the artists in the show come from various cultures from across the world. She emphasized that the sections in the exhibition covered almost all subjects of contemporary art and that any given contemporary artwork produced in the world can fit into one of the categories within the show.
Among the works of art in the show is “Family Portrait, in Exact Weight and Volume” from Christopher Saucedo. It features a family photograph paired with weights and metal cylinders reflecting the weight and volume of each family member at the time the photograph was taken. Another interesting work is Joshua Harris' “Air Bear,” which features an inflated balloon in the shape of bears animated by fans under the floor. Anker's “Origins and Futures,” Hristoff's “Every thing and No thing,” Nicolas Touron's “Giraffe,” Erik S. Guzman's “Icarus: If he made it,” Joseph Tekippe's “Data Sonification” and Lynn Herrings' “Egg on my face,” “Navel Gaze” and “Egg on my feet” are the other highlights of the exhibition.
Turkish artists Elif Uras and Soner Ön are also showcasing their works within the show.
Founded as a school for caricaturists and illustrators in 1947, the School of Visual Arts is a leader and innovator in the education of artists. From the very beginning, the faculty has comprised professionals working in the arts and art-related fields. The school provides an environment that nurtures creativity, intensiveness and experimentation, enabling students to develop a strong sense of identity and a clear direction of purpose, explains former student and current faculty member Hristoff, also speaking at the press conference. A group of artists that feature their work within the exhibition were also present during the conference.
The show, scheduled to run until Oct. 4 on the fourth and fifth floors of the Pera Museum, has been supported by the Turkish Culture and Tourism Office in New York, the American Turkish Society, the Moon and Stars Project and the US Consulate General in İstanbul. The museum is open every day except Mondays. For more information, visit www.peramuzesi.org.tr.
