"I'm not a studio artist, either," spray paint on a LightBox, 2023, İMÇ, Istanbul.
This piece originated from the exhibition titled "I am not a studio artist" by Turkish artist Hüseyin Bahri Alptekin, which took place at Salt, a cultural and artistic institution in Istanbul, in 2011. I vandalized my earlier piece, a lightbox with a well-executed English text, by spray-painting the phrase "I am not a studio artist, either" in Turkish.
Following these events, something unexpected happened. Due to the diverse nature of IMÇ as a multifaceted complex, the habitants, such as artists, producers, and artisans, primarily working class, living and working there embraced and took ownership of the sentence. For instance, Dadaş Abdullah, a singer who resides and works in IMÇ, has been intentionally severed by the Turkish government from participating in several festivals due to his dissenting stance. He took the stage before the lightbox and performed his original songs.
Following these events, something unexpected happened. Due to the diverse nature of IMÇ as a multifaceted complex, the habitants, such as artists, producers, and artisans, primarily working class, living and working there embraced and took ownership of the sentence. For instance, Dadaş Abdullah, a singer who resides and works in IMÇ, has been intentionally severed by the Turkish government from participating in several festivals due to his dissenting stance. He took the stage before the lightbox and performed his original songs.
IMÇ*, originally conceived as a modernist urbanization project in the 1960s, encompasses a variety of businesses, ranging from drapery and furniture to music production companies, all nestled in Istanbul.
Irem Gunaydin
AUGUST 2023, STUTTGART
