Hit & Run Smart Project Space at Platform
23 June – 28 July 2004
Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center
Istiklal Caddesi 276
Beyoglu 34430 Istanbul, Turkey
platform [at] garanti.com.tr
Tel + 90 212 293 23 61
Fax + 90 212 293 30 71
Dave Allen | Gustavo Artigas | Fabienne Audeoud | Mark Bain | James Beckett | Marc Bijl | Naz Erayda, Nadi Guler & Mustafa Kaplan | Alicia Framis | Funky Projects | Begona Munoz | Dan Shipsides | Joanne Tatham & Tom O’Sullivan | Debora Warner | Yvonne Droge Wendel
In November last year, dual bomb attacks caused large-scale damage to the British consulate and the headquarters of the British owned HSBC bank in Istanbul, the first of which was located just a few hundred meters from Platform’s building and exhibition space. Apart from several shattered panes of glass, Platform suffered little damage from the blast. However, the visible and mental fracture caused by the events could be felt among the staff. As a result of this situation, a large part of the initial conversations between Smart and Platform centered on the war in Iraq, Israel, religious relations and Turkey’s forthcoming membership and significance in the European Union. It was within this context that the idea for Hit & Run – a program of art interventions to be located in different places throughout the city – took shape.
During conversations on the subject of public engagement, questions regarding the political and cultural discourse set amidst this backdrop, the relation between art and audience at venues such as Platform, it became apparent that there has been a sparse tradition of interventions or performance events sited within Istanbul’s public domain. Platform’s exhibition space is nestled between shops on one of the busiest streets in Istanbul and could be considered an extension of the shopping street itself. This gave the impetus to extend the project’s realization over the gallery threshold, allowing the artist to draw attention to the structure of the city.
Hit & Run has come to consist of a series of contemporary art performances, events and initiatives, taking place in Platform’s gallery space and out on the streets of Istanbul. These concise moments of reflection will offer alternative visual and sound-based perspectives within the context of the city’s vibrancy and public life. Regarding the geographical and historical position and importance of Istanbul as a barrier and bridge between Europe and Asia, the interventions aim to generate a dialogue where cultural differences are bridged via the general structures that bind our social lives together.
To complement the exhibition, the project will also host a series of video screenings and lectures. All performances, presentations and discussions are streamed live on the website of SMART Project Space www.smartprojectspace.net
In collaboration with SMART Project Space, Amsterdam.
The project is curated by Thomas Peutz and Una Henry.
This exhibition is supported by the Mondriaan Foundation. Additional support has been provided by the Consulate General of the Netherlands, Istanbul; the External Affairs Secretary, Mexico; the British Council, Istanbul; the French Cultural Institute, Istanbul and Vertigo Climbing Structures, Rotterdam.
www.platform.garanti.com.tr www.smartprojectspace.net
Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center
Istiklal Caddesi 276
Beyoglu 34430 Istanbul, Turkey
e-mail: platform@garanti.com.tr
Tel + 90 212 293 23 61
Fax + 90 212 293 30 71
