Deniz Gül 2013-14: Self. Photo: Jeanne Dunning, courtesy of the artist.
The Nesrin Esirtgen Collection Art Space in Istanbul is showing a group exhibition, Trocadero, 23 January to 29 March 2014 featuring works by Ali Miharbi, Aslı Çavuşoğlu, Deniz Gül, İris Ergül, İz Öztat, Lawrence Weiner, Leyla Gediz, Lili Reynaud-Dewar, Özlem Altın, Sarkis, Serhat Kiraz, Sun Ra and Tuncay Çavdar.
Curated by Nazlı Gürlek, the exhibition brings together historic and newly produced works as well as archival material that is not part of the collection. Pieces in the exhibition question notions of repetition as creative process, interpretation as content, performance as document, style as concept, intellectual property as common denominator and viewer as object of interest.
A curatorial/gallery statement says Trocadero finds inspiration in the context of a variety theatre of the same name in Istanbul which is long gone, but in which the exhibition is situating itself. The Trocadero Theatre opened its doors during the second half of the 19th century, and was located where Mısır Apartmanı stands now, remaining there until 1905, when the Mısırlı Abbas Halim Pascha bought the land to have a winter residence built for his family.
The aim of the exhibition, however, is not to analyze the story of Istanbul’s urban or social development, the touristic associations the name Trocadero offers, or the history of this theatre. The exhibition turns to the myth of this theater 109 years after its demolition in order to try out a new exhibition model: It brings together works at whose center of production lie the notions of repetition, interpretation, and transformation in various forms; it transposes the functioning rhythm of the lost theater into the gallery, aiming to communicate with viewers through the possible moments of déjà-vu, which this rhythm is expected to induce.
What happens if, rather than dismantle, destroy or reconstruct, we repeat, add, interpret, transform, and derive historical constructs and creative impulses instead? the statement asks.
Alongside the exhibition, there will be a performance by İris Ergül, ‘Dissecting and Detecting the Body: An Enactment,’ Thursday, 13 February 2014.
The Nesrin Esirtgen Collection is named after business entrepreneur and collector Nesrin Esirtgen. Esirtgen says she aims to develop her 20 years of interest in art and share her collection, as well as, support contemporary art and artists.
Apart from periodical collection exhibitions, the nonprofit art platform will continue to host exhibitions to enable national and international recognition of upcoming artists and their work. Past Exhibitions have included Koray Kantarcıoğlu, Landscapes (06.12.2013 – 04.01.2014); Nesrin Esirtgen Collection Exhibition, No. 3 (11.09.2013 – 16.11.2013), Kerem Ozan Bayraktar, Composition with Pills (04.07.2013 – 19.07.2013), Emre Hüner, Aeolian (5.03.2013 – 15.06.2013), Nesrin Esirtgen Collection Exhibition, No.2 (21.12.2012 – 02.03.2013); Mehmet Ali Uysal, Peel (26.09.2012 – 08.12.2012); Kerem Ozan Bayraktar, Rules (29.05.2012 – 10.08.2012); Nesrin Esirtgen K Collection Exhibition, No. 1 (08.02.2012 – 28.04.2012); İnci Eviner, Broken Manifestos, 17.09.2011 – 30.10.2011
