solo exhibitions

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city can / istanbul
curated by marcus graf
2006

ceren oykut / city can
marcus graf

City Can is dealing with Istanbul as a city of dreams and nightmares. It goes beyond traditional drawing by extending the picture into space. The work surrounds the spectator. It shows a heterogeneous urban cosmos, in which millions of stories can be observed. Instead of being a wall-drawing, the work is a space-drawing, a time and site spesific installation.

Ceren Oykut transfers the classic medium into contemporary forms in order to adjust the act of drawing to today’s reality. She poses the eyes of a child combined with the mind of a scientist. The artist researches Istanbul and reveals the stories of the city dwellers living within the chaos and absurdity of everyday life. Ceren Oykut belongs to this city, is an active part of it.

City Can functions like a subjective archive, a visual pool of the streets of Istanbul. The artist draws what she sees. The result is an all over composition, a complex structure without any focus. Like the city itself, there is no centre in Oykut’s work. She creates an individual map, in which details are more important than a general impression, a picturesque wiew or any tourist attraction.

Turkis Miniature as well as caricature, satire and humour in general (mizah) have evident influences on her work. On the walls of Under Construction, she individually reproduces her direct surrounding, the urban context she lives in. Though, different from real life, in Oykut’s work, everything and every being have same formal and conceptual importance. The freedom of miniature is adjusted to the freedom of the mind.

City Can translocates parts of Istanbul into Under Constuction. In the installation, the spectator sees scenes that Ceren Oykut watched on her way from Boyacıköy, over Başiktaş, the Bosphorus, Kadıköy to Under Construction in Maltepe during the installation’s production time of three weeks. The work is like a record of seen incidents, which she saved in her memory and later drew on the wall. She took various ways to the exhibition space to see as many different stories as possible. The result of this research is a compressen image of Istanbul. There, everything is in a state of permanent flux. The city, the construction site and Oykut’s installation are constantly developing. Together they form one liquid composition. İt resembles a concert, in which the sound of Istanbul gets created: The machines of the construction site form the rhythm, and the pencil dances an the walls to the melody of the city.

In City Can, time and space stop existing. The spectator steps out of real life in order to discover Istanbul. Therefore, Oykut’s work shows one of art’s basic functions:Art becomes an instrument for researching and questioning society by forming parallel realities which represents models of our world. In her installation, we see our city through the eyes of somebody who is observing from a differet angle.

Ceren Oykut’s work reflects the paradox of being a distant observer and individual activist. City Can gives us a feedback. What we see is what we live with. The spectator is wellcomed to enter the installation in order to discover various faces of Istanbul, this beautiful monster. Istanbul is more than an accumulation of concrete, steel and glass. Istanbul is made by its inhabitants. We create Istanbul everyday new...

group exhibitions, 2003-2007

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2+1 

selda asal + ceren oykut + neriman polat,

 

10th international istanbul biennal

2006

About the project

The project Postcards, 2+1 by its name known today, in 2004 in Istanbul starded with Selda Asal and Ceren Oykut. In te following years with the contribution of other artists and this time with Neriman Polat joining them, they continued the project in Haliç area.

They determinated, as tneir field of study, the streets that are both so close to Istanbul but still shelter lives that conflict with each other like in Haliç and also areas lie Eyüp, Halıcıoğlu, Balat, Silahtarağa that have connections to Haliç.

These were youngsters that were aged between 8 and 15 who migrated from various regions of Turkey. They were trying really hard to survive with their families. Artist's aim was to make seen the spots where these people who live right next to luxury were jammed in their struggle through their dreams. Although not very clear because of their disappointmens, where did these people's dreams lie? How close did these dreams lead us to reality? Who were they? How were their lives? What did they think about? The fear that started in the corner of the street, depravation, luxury on the street next to it? Being marginal? Alchool? Drugs? How would these exist together right next to each other? Political reactions, fashion, rap, dance, folk songs, longing for countryside..To understand these youngsters?

Parallel emotional lives, to liberate and to prepare a base where these youngsters can reveal their thoughts and to create these images with materials of the artists, movie, pnotograph, audio and sketches..

performances with BaBa ZuLa
since 2004

Live drawing performance with the music band "Baba Zula". Creating and rendering digital projected drawings in real time sycronized with the live music. An influence of traditional turkish shadow theatre "Karagöz".

biography

Ceren Oykut (1978, Istanbul) is an artist who draws about urban culture focused on daily realities. She also produces multidisciplinary projects, which blend sound and visual representation modes through drawings on urban culture of her hometown Istanbul and past traditions like shadow theatre and caligraphy.Her drawings were presented in various magazines such as L-inc, Kontrol, Roll, and Fuct-D. She also works with a music band called “Baba Zula” and a collective called “Anabala” by creating and rendering projected digital images in real time on the stage. She contributed to many projects in Turkey, Belgium, Germany, Austria,Serbia and Montenegro, and Egypt. Oykut lives and works in Istanbul.

CV

Personal Details

E Mail: coykut@yahoo.com

Date of Birth: 06/ 08/ 1978

Citizenship: Turkish

Education: 2002 BA degree at Mimar Sinan University, Fine Arts Faculty, Department of Painting



Solo Exhibitions

2008

" Lost Passport " KiBela Art Space, Kibla, Maribor, Slovenia

2006

“Musical Drawings” Karaburun Festival, Izmir

“City Can- Kustepe Branch” curated by Marcus Graf, Under Construction Contemporary Art Space,Kustepe, Istanbul

“City Can” curated by Marcus Graf, Under Construction Contemporary Art Space, Maltepe, Istanbul

2005

“Utopia” Karaburun Festival, Izmir

2003

“Drawing Exhibition”, Kultur Köln 30, Köln



Selected Group Exhibitions

2009

" Istanbul Zombie 2066 " , a graphic novel project by Mery Cuesta, La Capella, Barcelona, Spain

"Le Spectacle Du Quotidien",  Xe Biennale De Lyon, Musee d'Art Contemporain de Lyon, curated by Hou Hanru, France

"Quel Istanbul?", Centre De Photographie De Lectoure, Lectoure, France

" No Room For Panic" Galeri Outlet, Istanbul

" I Dream But.." with Selda Asal and Serdar Ateşer, Maison Folie Moulins de Lille, France

" Istanbul Traversee " Palais des Beaux Arts de Lille, France, exhibition commissaire: Caroline Naphegyi

2008

" Memory City " Portable Art Project by Istanbul 2010 Visual Arts Project,Istanbul, curated by Derya Yücel

" Index. Zeichen Des Alltags" Kunstraum Palais Porcia, Wien, curated by Deniz Ova and Daniela Gregori

" Zig-Zag" Hafriyat Karaköy, Istanbul, curated by Anila Viola Grumiller, Koray Kantarcıoğlu and Inci Furni

"Coincidences. Intuitions, Fictions on Istanbul" 2010 Office, exhibition series at the 3rd floor of Atlas Passage, curated by Deniz Erbaş, Istanbul

"Becoming Istanbul" curated by Pelin Derviş, Bülent Tanju and Uğur Tanyeli,  cooperation between Garanti Galeri and DAM, parallel exhibition of Frankfurt Book Fair, Germany

"Save As.." Contemporary Art From Turkey, curated by Derya Yücel, Triennale Bovisa, Milano

2007

"Allah Korkusu", Hafriyat Karaköy, Istanbul

"Light, Illumination and Electricity" curated by Basak Senova, Energy Museum, Santral Istanbul

"Slow Space Fast Pace" an exhibition in public space curated by Rana Ozturk, Patrick Street no 23 Shandon, Cork, Ireland

"2+1" a project by Apartment Project, Selda Asal, Ceren Oykut, Neriman Polat, 10th Internatıonal Istanbul Biennal, Santral Istanbul

"Sobe!" curated by Leyla Gediz, Bilsar Building, Istanbul

“Hafriyat Karaköy” Hafriyat Group Exhibition, Karaköy, Istanbul

"From the Owner with Wiew", group exhibition curated by Derya Yücel
Ortakoy, Istanbul

"Nothing is going to be allright" Apartment Project,Istanbul

"Ardindan Degil Karsisina", curated by Övül Durmusoglu,
Radikal Newspaper, street exhibition, Istanbul

2006

"Everything's Gonna be Allright" Apartment Project,Istanbul

“Rejection Episodes", curated by Basak Senova, Arts Centre Vooruit, De Centraale, Ghent

“Yerel Cennet” (Local Heaven) Hafriyat Group Exhibition, Diyarbakir

"Istanbul Contemporary Art Fair", Lutfi Kirdar Fair Center, Istanbul

“Topkapi” Spedition, Bremen

"All About Lies" Apartment Project, Istanbul

“Postcards from Stokholm/Istanbul” colaboration with Selda Asal, Botkyrka Konsthall, Stokholm

“Istanbul Defterdarlari” Karsi Sanat Çalismalari,Istanbul

2005

"Project:Production Fault",Hafriyat Group Exhibition,Antrepo5, Istanbul

“Young Art Europe” Museum of Young Art, Wien

" Outliners" Art Transponder, Berlin

“Öcü” Neurotitan, Berlin

"The Thieving City" Akbank Culture and Art Center,Istanbul curated by Levent Çalıkoğlu

"Tele-City" Siemens Art Center,Istanbul
organisation by Nomad

2004

"The Visitor" Galerist, Istanbul
curated by Emre Baykal, Rob Perree

"23rd International Contemporary Artists Exhibition", Istanbul and Diyarbakir
curated by Başak Şenova, Anton Lederer, Eyal Danon

2003

"Belvu Apartment" group exhibition, Galatasaray, Istanbul

2001

“Dükkan Dövmeciyan” group exhibition, Anabala Han, Beyoglu, Istanbul



Residences

2007

"Light, İllumination and Electricity" Santral Istanbul, Istanbul

2006
“Topkapı”, Spedition, Bremen

“Open Sound Studio” with Anabala, Townhouse Gallery, Cairo

2005-2002

K-34 Köln/Istanbul Partnership Project, Turkish-German artists colaboration, hosted by Stad Köln, Köln

Printed Projects

1986

“Nisan”, Istanbul

2005-2006

Roll Music Magazine, Istanbul

2005

“Vs, Dergi..” Art Magazine, Istanbul

“Istanbul Defterdarları” ,Hafriyat Art Group Publishing House

Post Express, Istanbul

2006

Bant Magazine, Istanbul

“Hafriyat Ameleleri”,Birgün Newspaper, with Hafriyat Art Group, Istanbul

“Hafriyat Ameleleri” Hafriyat Publishing House, compilation of the works published on Birgün newspaper, Istanbul

L-inc Magazine for contepporary drawing, Wien

KONTROL, perspectives on control in the course of contemporary art, culture, thecnology, information channels, and politics, online magazine, editorial by Basak Senova and Yane Calovski

2007

Fuct-D Magazine for contemporary drawing, editorial by Bjorn Hegardt and Yane Calovski, Berlin

2009

Project "Park Otel" in the 3rd volume book published for the "Lapses" project, Pavillion of Turkey, 53rd International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, curator: Basak Senova