Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center
Encyclopedia
The contemporary art
institution Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center opened in 2001 and was located on the pedestrian Istiklal Avenue
in Istanbul
, Turkey
. Platform Garanti organized exhibitions; conferences and events; hosted an international residency program; and maintained a library and archive of contemporary art.
initially with the support of the Ottoman Bank
and later, once the Ottoman Bank had been incorporated under a different name, by Garanti Bank. Platform Garanti took a break from its exhibition program at the end of 2007 and formally ended its activities under this name in 2010. In 2008 major renovations of Platform Garanti's original Istiklal Avenue venue and the former Ottoman Bank Headquarters in Galata
, were initiated in order to combine elements of Platform's previous activities with two other cultural entities: Garanti Gallery and the Ottoman Bank Archives and Research Centre
under the common name: SALT
; a public company
operating under Garanti Kültür Inc.
Subtracting of Zeroes, Mladen Stilinović
, 2007
The exhibition Subtracting of Zeroes pivoted around the issue of economy
with reference to the previous use of Platform's building as a bank in the 1980s. A selection from Stilinović's production of over 70 artist books, from the 1970s to today, were exhibited in the mezzanine.
Open Library, 2007
Open Library was a rethinking of Platform's well-visited exhibition space in the form of a library. By setting up an unexpected threshold between the street outside and the normally white-walled gallery, Platform’s function became blurred and its status could be perceived as a library or as idiosyncratic exhibition.
Open Library was designed by Istanbul-based architecture practice superpool in collaboration with quinze & milan.
Normalization, 2005
In 2003 Platform Garanti was invited by Rooseum
, Malmö
and WHW, Zagreb
as a third collaborator in a series of discussions, exhibitions and publication, which would take as their point of departure the term 'normalization'. The ambiguity of such a term, its perception from different geographies, cultures and individuals, led Platform’s proposal to follow the notion of normalization via a route of trepidation and enquiry, resulting in a progressive art program that focused on the multiple meanings of the term, its usage, manifestation, its political and social implications via the involvement of different modes, media and protagonists.
Curated by Vasif Kortun
and November Paynter. Artists: Can Altay, Yael Bartana
, Mark Leckey
, Aydan Murtezaoglu, Phil Collins (artist)
, Roman Ondak, Solmaz Shahbazi, Wael Shawky, Jalal Toufic
.
In addition, Platform hosted participating artists of the International Istanbul Biennials
in 2005: Hüseyin Bahri Alptekin
and Yael Bartana
; in 2003 Shahzia Sikander
; and in 2001 Carsten Nicolai.
in 2009; Last Things at the Westfälischer Kunstverein in Münster
and the screening program Candid Stories at Insa Art Space, Seoul
, in 2008. Also in 2008 Platform was one of fifteen international partner institutions that participated in the Seventh International Biennial exhibition Lucky Seven of SITE Santa Fe
. In 2006, the institution was commissioned by Frieze Projects to participate in the Frieze Art Fair
http://www.friezefoundation.org/commissions/detail/platform_garanti. In 2003, Platform was one of ten not-for-profit European institutions to participate in Institution², curated by Jens Hoffmann
for KIASMA, Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki
.
, Charles Esche
, Maria Lind, Carlos Basualdo, Phillipe Vergne, Irit Rogoff
, Mark Leckey
, Chantal Mouffe
, Maarten Hajer
, Momoyo Kajima, Marcos Novak, Nikolaus Hirsch, Hans Ulrich Obrist
, Nikos Papastergiadis. Platform also organized and hosted projects such as A Coffee-House: A Conversation on the International Art world and its Exclusions http://www.kahve-house.com/conversations/ in 2001; Urban Flashes Istanbul: Cultural Patchworks in the Public Space in 2003 http://www.microurbanism.net/english/2003lstanbul.asp; south ... east ... Mediterranean... Europe, a conference within the context of In the Cities of the Balkans, the 2nd part of The Balkans Trilogy initiated by Kunsthalle Fridericianum; The Next Documenta Should Be Curated By An Artist http://www.e-flux.com/projects/next_doc/index.html; Archiving Disappearance organized with Krist Gruijthuijsen http://www.presstoexit.org.mk/LectureAndPresentation/MoreLectureAndPresent/KristGrutuesen.html; Questioning Alternative Practices http://platformgaranti.blogspot.com/2006/09/questioning-alternative-practices.html all in 2006; On Support Lecture Series organized by Celine Condorelli; and the Transdisciplines Lecture series co-organized with Garanti Galeri between 2006 and 2009.
of Ministers invited four artists from the countries of South East Europe. In 2009 and 2010 the program Accented Residencies supported by the British Council
http://www.britishcouncil.org/turkey-arts-creative-collaboration-accented-residency-programme.htm provided residency opportunities again from this geography. The institution also helped a number of artists from Turkey to spend time on residency programs in other countries around the world from 2006 until 2010. The residency program at Platform was terminated at the end of 2010.
http://www.smba.nl/en/space-for-books/we-all-laughed-at-christopher-c/ and the Mondriaan Foundation, Hit & Run with SMART Project Space
, Amsterdam http://www.smartprojectspace.net/exhibitions/28.xml; Support Structures by Celine Condorelli http://www.supportstructures.org/, published by Sternberg Press http://www.sternberg-press.com/index.php?pageId=1255&l=en&bookId=150&sort=year+DESC,month+DESC; Subtracting of Zeroes co-published with Van AbbeMuseum
, Eindhoven; Today in History by Ahmet Oğüt
co-published with Book Works http://www.bookworks.org.uk/asp/detail.asp?uid=book_E9872CEF-886D-49DD-B679-64218164C541&sub=pas, London
.
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
institution Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center opened in 2001 and was located on the pedestrian Istiklal Avenue
Istiklal Avenue
İstiklal Avenue or Istiklal Street is one of the most famous avenues in Istanbul, Turkey, visited by nearly 3 million people in a single day over the course of weekends...
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Platform Garanti organized exhibitions; conferences and events; hosted an international residency program; and maintained a library and archive of contemporary art.
History
Platform was founded by Vasif KortunVasif Kortun
Vasif Kortun is a Turkish curator, writer and teacher in the field of contemporary visual art, its institutions and exhibition practices....
initially with the support of the Ottoman Bank
Ottoman Bank
The Ottoman Bank was founded in 1856 in the Galata business section of İstanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, as a joint venture between British interests, the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas of France, and the Ottoman government.The opening capital of the Bank consisted of 135,000 shares,...
and later, once the Ottoman Bank had been incorporated under a different name, by Garanti Bank. Platform Garanti took a break from its exhibition program at the end of 2007 and formally ended its activities under this name in 2010. In 2008 major renovations of Platform Garanti's original Istiklal Avenue venue and the former Ottoman Bank Headquarters in Galata
Galata
Galata or Galatae is a neighbourhood in the Beyoğlu district on the European side of Istanbul, the largest city of Turkey. Galata is located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn, the inlet which separates it from the historic peninsula of old Constantinople. The Golden Horn is crossed by...
, were initiated in order to combine elements of Platform's previous activities with two other cultural entities: Garanti Gallery and the Ottoman Bank Archives and Research Centre
Ottoman Bank Archives and Research Centre
Founded in March 1997 by the Ottoman Bank in collaboration with the , the operated in the former Head Office of the Ottoman Bank in Istanbul, Turkey from 1999 to 2010...
under the common name: SALT
SALT (institution)
SALT is a not-for-profit institution located in Istanbul, Turkey. Opened in April 2011, SALT hosts exhibitions, conferences and public programs; engages in interdisciplinary research projects; and sustains SALT Research, a library and archive of recent art, architecture, design, urbanism, and...
; a public company
Public company
This is not the same as a Government-owned corporation.A public company or publicly traded company is a limited liability company that offers its securities for sale to the general public, typically through a stock exchange, or through market makers operating in over the counter markets...
operating under Garanti Kültür Inc.
Exhibitions in Istanbul
Between 2001 and 2007, Platform organized over 40 exhibitions in Istanbul. Notable exhibitions included:Subtracting of Zeroes, Mladen Stilinović
Mladen Stilinović
Mladen Stilinović born, 1947 in Belgrade, Serbia is a conceptual artist and one of the leading figures of the so-called "New Art Practice" in Croatia. He lives and works in Zagreb, Croatia.Stilinović's works are based on the idea of social and art critique...
, 2007
The exhibition Subtracting of Zeroes pivoted around the issue of economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
with reference to the previous use of Platform's building as a bank in the 1980s. A selection from Stilinović's production of over 70 artist books, from the 1970s to today, were exhibited in the mezzanine.
Open Library, 2007
Open Library was a rethinking of Platform's well-visited exhibition space in the form of a library. By setting up an unexpected threshold between the street outside and the normally white-walled gallery, Platform’s function became blurred and its status could be perceived as a library or as idiosyncratic exhibition.
Open Library was designed by Istanbul-based architecture practice superpool in collaboration with quinze & milan.
Normalization, 2005
In 2003 Platform Garanti was invited by Rooseum
Rooseum
The Rooseum Center for Contemporary Art, located in Malmö, Sweden, was a formally private-owned centre for contemporary art. Founded in 1988 by the Swedish art collector and financier Fredrik Roos, the Rooseum promoted experimental relationships between art, artists and audience, by offering...
, Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
and WHW, Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
as a third collaborator in a series of discussions, exhibitions and publication, which would take as their point of departure the term 'normalization'. The ambiguity of such a term, its perception from different geographies, cultures and individuals, led Platform’s proposal to follow the notion of normalization via a route of trepidation and enquiry, resulting in a progressive art program that focused on the multiple meanings of the term, its usage, manifestation, its political and social implications via the involvement of different modes, media and protagonists.
Curated by Vasif Kortun
Vasif Kortun
Vasif Kortun is a Turkish curator, writer and teacher in the field of contemporary visual art, its institutions and exhibition practices....
and November Paynter. Artists: Can Altay, Yael Bartana
Yael Bartana
Yael Bartana is an Israeli video artist, who lives and works in Amsterdam and Tel Aviv.- Work :Yael Bartana has had several solo exhibitions at among others Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, PS1 in New York and Moderna Museet Malmö...
, Mark Leckey
Mark Leckey
Mark Leckey is a British artist, working with collage art, music and video. His found art and found footage pieces span several videos, most notably Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore and Industrial Lights and Magic , for which he won the 2008 Turner Prize.-Life:Leckey was born in Birkenhead, near...
, Aydan Murtezaoglu, Phil Collins (artist)
Phil Collins (artist)
-Life and work:Phil Collins was born in Runcorn, England and now lives in Berlin He studied Drama and English at the University of Manchester, graduating in 1994. During his time there he worked as a cloak-room boy and pint-puller at the Hacienda nightclub on Whitworth Street...
, Roman Ondak, Solmaz Shahbazi, Wael Shawky, Jalal Toufic
Jalal Toufic
Jalal Toufic is a Lebanese artist, filmmaker and author of various publications, most notably for . Born to an Iraqi father and a Palestinian mother, he has lived in Lebanon for about seventeen years, and his work often reflects his heritage, one of the world's most destroyed two...
.
In addition, Platform hosted participating artists of the International Istanbul Biennials
Istanbul Biennial
The International Istanbul Biennial is a contemporary art exhibition, held every two years in Istanbul, Turkey, since 1987. The biennial is organised by the İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. The Biennial aims to create a meeting point in İstanbul in the field of visual arts between artists...
in 2005: Hüseyin Bahri Alptekin
Huseyin Bahri Alptekin
Hüseyin Bahri Alptekin was an artist, writer, educator and curator. He studied aesthetics and the philosophy of art and sociology in Istanbul and Paris-I Sorbonne. Alptekin worked as a press photographer and an art, media and design critic...
and Yael Bartana
Yael Bartana
Yael Bartana is an Israeli video artist, who lives and works in Amsterdam and Tel Aviv.- Work :Yael Bartana has had several solo exhibitions at among others Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, PS1 in New York and Moderna Museet Malmö...
; in 2003 Shahzia Sikander
Shahzia Sikander
Shahzia Sikander is an artist from Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Sikander is a Pakistani American artist, now living in New York City, who specializes in Mughal miniature painting and Persian miniature painting. She has also created murals, installations, mixed-media works and performance art. She...
; and in 2001 Carsten Nicolai.
Exhibitions and Collaborations outside Turkey
Platform was invited to organize exhibitions in international spaces – these included: The Columns Held us Up at Artists Space in New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 2009; Last Things at the Westfälischer Kunstverein in Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
and the screening program Candid Stories at Insa Art Space, Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, in 2008. Also in 2008 Platform was one of fifteen international partner institutions that participated in the Seventh International Biennial exhibition Lucky Seven of SITE Santa Fe
Site Santa Fe
SITE Santa Fe is a non-profit contemporary arts organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Since its founding, SITE Santa Fe has gained worldwide recognition through a series of biennial exhibitions that have featured numerous famous artists...
. In 2006, the institution was commissioned by Frieze Projects to participate in the Frieze Art Fair
Frieze Art Fair
Frieze Art Fair is an international contemporary art fair that takes place every October in London's Regent's Park. The fair is staged by Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover, the publishers of frieze magazine...
http://www.friezefoundation.org/commissions/detail/platform_garanti. In 2003, Platform was one of ten not-for-profit European institutions to participate in Institution², curated by Jens Hoffmann
Jens Hoffmann
Jens Hoffmann Mesèn is a writer and exhibition organizer. He has organzied exhibitions since 1997 and is currently the Director of the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco where he also directs the Capp Street Project artist-in-residence...
for KIASMA, Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
.
Library and Archive http://kutuphane.obarsiv.com/yordam.htm
Platform housed an archive of artist files of more than 150 artists from Turkey, both living and working in the country as well as abroad. This comprehensive library of contemporary art included: magazine publications, exhibition catalogues, monographies, rare books, catalogue raisonnés, and books on theory and philosophy. In 2007 the library was presented to the public within the gallery space of the institution as Open Library http://www.archdaily.com/41475/open-library-superpool/. The full holdings of this library will be available to the public within SALT Research as of November 2011.Talks and Conferences http://platformgaranti.blogspot.com/2000/01/talks-conversations-conferences.html
Platform organized over 120 lectures with professionals including among many others: Hou HanruHou Hanru
Hou Hanru is a Chinese art curator and critic who lives in United States since 2006.He received degrees from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing and moved from China in 1990. He lived 16 years in France before moving to America in 1990...
, Charles Esche
Charles Esche
Charles Esche is a curator and writer. Since 2004, he has been Director of the Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, Netherlands. He is co-founder and co-editor of Afterall Journal and Afterall Books with Mark Lewis. Afterall is a contemporary art publication which was first launched in 1998 and is based at...
, Maria Lind, Carlos Basualdo, Phillipe Vergne, Irit Rogoff
Irit Rogoff
Irit Rogoff is a professor at Goldsmiths, University of London in the department of Visual Cultures, which she founded in 2002. She is also a writer and curator and has written and co-written a number of seminal texts. Her research interests include visual culture; contemporary art and critical...
, Mark Leckey
Mark Leckey
Mark Leckey is a British artist, working with collage art, music and video. His found art and found footage pieces span several videos, most notably Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore and Industrial Lights and Magic , for which he won the 2008 Turner Prize.-Life:Leckey was born in Birkenhead, near...
, Chantal Mouffe
Chantal Mouffe
Chantal Mouffe is a Belgian political theorist.-Work:Chantal Mouffe studied at Louvain, Paris and Essex and has worked in many universities throughout the world . She has also held visiting positions at Harvard, Cornell, Princeton and the CNRS...
, Maarten Hajer
Maarten Hajer
Maarten A. Hajer is a Dutch political scientist and urban and regional planner. Since 1998, he has been a professor of Public Policy at the University of Amsterdam. Since 1 October 2008, he has been Director of the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency .Hajer is the author of many scientific...
, Momoyo Kajima, Marcos Novak, Nikolaus Hirsch, Hans Ulrich Obrist
Hans Ulrich Obrist
Hans Ulrich Obrist is a contemporary art curator, critic and historian of art. He is currently Co-director of Exhibitions and Programmes and Director of International Projects at the Serpentine Gallery, London...
, Nikos Papastergiadis. Platform also organized and hosted projects such as A Coffee-House: A Conversation on the International Art world and its Exclusions http://www.kahve-house.com/conversations/ in 2001; Urban Flashes Istanbul: Cultural Patchworks in the Public Space in 2003 http://www.microurbanism.net/english/2003lstanbul.asp; south ... east ... Mediterranean... Europe, a conference within the context of In the Cities of the Balkans, the 2nd part of The Balkans Trilogy initiated by Kunsthalle Fridericianum; The Next Documenta Should Be Curated By An Artist http://www.e-flux.com/projects/next_doc/index.html; Archiving Disappearance organized with Krist Gruijthuijsen http://www.presstoexit.org.mk/LectureAndPresentation/MoreLectureAndPresent/KristGrutuesen.html; Questioning Alternative Practices http://platformgaranti.blogspot.com/2006/09/questioning-alternative-practices.html all in 2006; On Support Lecture Series organized by Celine Condorelli; and the Transdisciplines Lecture series co-organized with Garanti Galeri between 2006 and 2009.
Istanbul Residency Program
The Istanbul Residency Program was launched in 2003. It was supported by numerous national and regional funding bodies. From 2004 the residency program attempted to focus more specifically on inviting artists from the geographies surrounding Turkey with the support of the Open Society and the American Center Foundation. From 2006 to 2010 The Backyard Residency program, a project launched under the SEE Mobility Project (Artists' Residences in South East Europe), supported by the Nordic CouncilNordic Council
The Nordic Council is a geo-political, inter-parliamentary forum for co-operation between the Nordic countries. It was established following World War II and its first concrete result was the introduction in 1952 of a common labour market and free movement across borders without passports for the...
of Ministers invited four artists from the countries of South East Europe. In 2009 and 2010 the program Accented Residencies supported by the British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
http://www.britishcouncil.org/turkey-arts-creative-collaboration-accented-residency-programme.htm provided residency opportunities again from this geography. The institution also helped a number of artists from Turkey to spend time on residency programs in other countries around the world from 2006 until 2010. The residency program at Platform was terminated at the end of 2010.
Publications
Platform collaborated on a range of publications including: The Next Documenta Should be Curated by an Artist co-published by Revolver and e-flux http://www.e-flux.com/shows/view/1188; We all Laughed at Christopher Columbus co-published with SMBA, AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
http://www.smba.nl/en/space-for-books/we-all-laughed-at-christopher-c/ and the Mondriaan Foundation, Hit & Run with SMART Project Space
SMART Project Space
SMART Project Space is a nonprofit platform for visual art and contemporary culture founded in 1994. It is located in Amsterdam, Netherlands near the city center in the Old West neighborhood in a building that used to be the Pathological Anatomical Laboratory...
, Amsterdam http://www.smartprojectspace.net/exhibitions/28.xml; Support Structures by Celine Condorelli http://www.supportstructures.org/, published by Sternberg Press http://www.sternberg-press.com/index.php?pageId=1255&l=en&bookId=150&sort=year+DESC,month+DESC; Subtracting of Zeroes co-published with Van AbbeMuseum
Van Abbemuseum
Van Abbemuseum is a museum of modern and contemporary art located in central Eindhoven, Netherlands, on the east bank of the Dommel river. Established in 1936, the Abbe Museum is named after its founder, Abbe Henri. Abbe was a lover of modern art and wanted to enjoy it there from Eindhoven...
, Eindhoven; Today in History by Ahmet Oğüt
Ahmet Ögüt
Ahmet Ögüt is a conceptual artist living and working in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He works with a broad range of media including video, photography, installation, drawing and printed media. In 2009 he represented Turkey in the Pavilion of Turkey at the 53rd International Art Exhibition of the Venice...
co-published with Book Works http://www.bookworks.org.uk/asp/detail.asp?uid=book_E9872CEF-886D-49DD-B679-64218164C541&sub=pas, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.