Page 1 Portfolio Didem ERK Page 2 BIOGRAPHY Didem Erk (1986, Istanbul) is an artist Who lives ...

99 Pages·2015·55.95 MB·English

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Didem Erk (1986, tanbul isan ais who lives and works in Istanbul. Shei en
_geged withthe concepts of memory, language, border zr pertarmative researea
methods on the pol te-poetic rea ms. She Froduces tots, videas, found objects, per-
formances, and site spetiic nstalatiors to explore memry,therliaet border
language, a> well asthe politic puoicasprels uf space. Considering lar guage 28
alyustaphysial place ora avr that ean open up to ll kinds vf experience, Ekin
Yestgatns re space that thrachald is snd what it holes

awaurdidemerk com | [email protected]

Education
m2

Sebnci University Istanbul, TURKEY
Visual rts and Vis Communication Design

2008
Shanet Unversty—Istanhul, TURKEY
HA- Visua Arts and Wiual Cam munication Design

Solo Exbitions
2012 “IFEELIAMEATINGMEMORIES | SANKIANILARIVIVORUMT", MLA. thesis aradua-
tion cahibition, Fassart Gallery Ssbanei University, istanbul, Turkey

Group Exhibitions
2015, "Through the Garicades”,FADBRICA DCL WAPORE. Wilan

Dons stay wath me" | “austelingse rating", Studinapentrum fa eunstlerpub-
Hatione, Bremen

2015, "Every inclusion is an exclusion of other possi lites” | "Her tercin ager ins
tna lerign bird slemaei”, SALT Bevo, Istanbul

2015, "Sertormars Bele | “Performing Memory”, PLATA SANAT, Istanbu

2015, Uyums Daye | Slay with met -D=FO, stenbul

2015, "2up-up Exhibition | Fop-p Surg, KARGART, Istanbul

2014, “La Sowersione bel Sensible | Subversion of the Sensi-
bie", FANURICA DLL WAbORE, Milan

2014, Stay wich me", APAIEIRAENT PHOIECT, Helin

2014, “Carte Blerche Ta Mil Valter”, GALERIST, Istanbul

2012, 13th Istanbul Biennial," Mar, Am l2 Barbarian? | Anne,
Ban Baroar mvyim?", ARTER, Istanbul

2012, "Bullercane: Chuckaoint | Butlerzone: Kontrol Naklast”,
DEPO, Istanbul

2013 “Sketching the Buferzonec" POLISTAR, lunbul

D013, “Taking Ste", 933, stanoul

DD13 "Inare $0 story now" , Mammut Art Project, ANIREEO
3, stanbul

2012 “OFFSIDE EFFECT” Ist Tbiisi Triennial, Center of Contern-
porary Are Tbilisi, Georgie

2012 “Borders and Orbits 12 [Sinrlar ve Yaringeler 12
ENS SANA, Istanbul

201L “SYMBIOSIS” XV Biennale de In Médierranée [XV.
Avrupait ve Akcenial Geng Sartor Bieta Port of Thessar
lori Taessalenik, Greece

DONS "Debi | Flow”, SABANC! MUSEUM, lstanbul

sie

Collaborations
2012 “Offside Effect”, 1st Tif Triennial, “Accing inthe brary
| Kttishansyi Sahnelemek" with ine’ Evine:, Centar ef Con-
ermporary Art, Buurature Muscurn, Tis, Georg

Book

Tk, idem. 1 Hee! 1 Am Fang, Memavies: Ihe Houndary We-
sucen. Germany: LAP Lzmbert Academie Publ shing, 2013
SiN 78-3-659-44001-7

Other Activities

2012, Domirique Gonzalee-Foerster & Tristan Bera "L2ist
ight” | "121. Gace” Project Manager anc organization with
art Spirits, PROTCCINEMA, Istanbul
Artistic Statement

always try te emphasize ‘how’ a work is created inelation ta other works, rather
ham what Isereated in each leces, Research means a process, a form of Inestiga-
Jon, collectsn ef marks and seaehing forthe righ form and right word. Aewe al
Consider myselt, a3 conjunction, interoreter, translator, and a writer with diverse
radia. Evary new piece adds a new word to my ever-expanding sentence. | work
sith tex, wideo, found objeets, performance, ste-saeciRc and performative installa:
Jon methods to exp cre the ways in which Une notion of border, menor, forget
Ing, knowledge wrting and postic aspects of language ad terature relates to the
‘rultiple meaning ct site. | work with linguist ememery withthe residues erd re-
tains whaz an ae remembered tram what we hava ead, heard and besieged!
nithin the geography that surraunds me. My research ngesrgates the canti-gency
ane fictional quality of memory and know edge anel performative qully ofall =
‘emering. My mast prarrinent question is aba. the methods and stra-eges to ex
plore ste retationa pertormative spproach, have been investigating in my revent
siorks onthe relations 9 he brary and memory, brary asa madel mamary and
city aan open library that accum4lates all the history, <nowledge and forgetting

| explore marnary as the container that fs same kind of a library and
san opencity and collections of time and freezed in that space. ut
memory i brary that's already uncategorized. unfreezed, contains
ro genre, not malphabebieal orcer ar many order. In that serse, IIs
possible to create my swe library in any space, canceling the space’
briginal function and altering it ta a production- reading or writing
roo. menrian about performance and memory atthe samme time
because tis so challenging to create a work which uses the perform-
ative qua ty ofall remembering Remembering helps us te restage
and restate what is lost loss helps us to rewrite the inescapable
transtermation.
“Rools to Braches”

Installation, 2015

2014, Subversion of tha Sensible, Fabbnca lel Vapore, Milan
2014, November 2014, “Stay with me", Apartment Project, Berlin
2015,May 2015, "Uyumn Dayan” | “Stay wilh met” , DRO, Istanbul
2016, “Slay with me" | “Ausstellungseroffnung’,

Studienzenturn far Kcnsllerpublikalionen, Beeinen

Courtesy of the Ariist

mixed media, tabla, chair, table lamp

Atwimess
Rats dawn inthe wet clay

my eyes

they are blind

excavating

[recall involuntarily

media Gown played

your rights

to breathe

assault and resistence

ite

very polite

very

ial

Ane yot poesie

body fs the power

power isthe body

take the arms in my testicles

itis prsen to you

Winor

LANGUage isa citaal

‘They re fuming books sil llber—Ubrarium
Rewsre, the ones withats past are caming
Goce news from the other world

creative juices of psyches

Spiritual emergencies: aid the healeis being korn
We are Une madian for a message tothe community
1am giving *he words

lash away the trall— pained Grey

poetic and tear

How can [re-member myself

re-present myse'f

Accurate / inaccurate

‘Wall over

For the UNknown soldier

“Terrain to Trace"
“Yurddagumaz Kaldirim”

Installation 2018 "evat, biz Ermenilerin bu toproklarda gbzimiis var. Ver, gunkii

—_—— kokumdz bureda, Ama merak atmeyir. Bu toraklan aip,

2015, Pop up Exhitilion, KARGART, Istanbul silrek igin deg. Bu toprakiaria lip dine gumndnek ii.”
Han Dink

Courtesy of the Arist “es, ve have set aur eyes on the ‘and of thicenuntry. Yes, we

have our eyes set on it, but not to take that land away, but
‘80cmx120em , pigment just to be buried deep within i” Hrant Dink:
GreQnibarin ky tie

wish | could not be traced in the Archives” |
sivierde izim bulunmasin isterdim’
(Sirkiran | Secret Decipherer | Mistiko Spastis)

Performance and site-specific video installation, 2013

2013, 13th ISTANBUL BIENNIAL
“Mtom. Am | Barbarian?” | *Anne. Ben Barbar miyim?"
ARTER, Istanbul

2015. Performing Memary. PLATO SANAT, Istanbul

Courtesy of the artist
Editing: Didem Erk and Ozgir Demirci
Camera: Ozgir Demirci

Bufferzone, Apartment Project

Two channel full HD video (2003" , 18°37")

Link: nip lgemerk.commworksiviehICouldNe-DeTracedinThenchives hil

bbidem trkasks the questions What are the forms and possibil
lies of saying? How can leiters and texts be acts of matting? Ina
situation of resaonse, someone may be the reader anc the
ther the listener. What re the places anc! forms fer live, con
fronting and face-to-face exneriences in aur contemporary Way
of living?’ Taking Giese inquires she has established a manner
of working that deals with site responsive installations that ex-
plore what constructs our faculties of memary, language and
Imagination. Considering language as almast a physial place or
a door that ean onen up to all kinds ot experience, Erk investi-
oles the space that ooquage i, and what it hod

Erk's wark exhioited atthe 13th Istanbul Biennial," wish could
rot be traced in the archives’ (Sirkiran | Secret Decipherer|
Mistiko Spasts} 12013} is an ongoing projact she ceveloped
curing her time in Nicosia, Cyprus. She began viewing the city
asa ligrary, and hegan reasing and walking niong the North and
South parts. Friding the city Wo be full of stories fmuch lke any
other city), and since language is a place, Erk began wreating
Nicosis as a brary of sorts, = container of stories. The records
ofthe art's nerformanee, which she din aot Narthem and

Southern Cygrus, were shown along the north - south axes in
the exhibition space 25 wall

‘The artist states: Tewas a project which confrants the city Nico
sla with a performative aparoach of reading and walking along
at both parts, North and South

| decided to Tind a book which is written by a Cypriot writer
azout his own childhood traumas and intertvinec with fiction,
I walked and read the hook aloud in hath parts of the city. |
named myself as aa itinerary reader, mobile storyselle to the
city sbour its own past thet has been aluvoys repressed.’ >

— Theodor Ringborg

1 bidem Fé, correspondence with the author.