KarmaComa
29 July – 3 September 2023
Artists:
Cem A.,Serdar Acar,Ece Ağırtmış, Ateş Alpar,RonitBaranga, Kerem Ozan Bayraktar,IsabellaChydenius, Ebru Döşekçi, Alicia Framis, EceHaskan, BerkaBeste Kopuz, MertEgeKöse, AlicanLeblebici, Adriana Ramić,Sally von Rosen, HodaTawakol, KorayTokdemir, MetehanTörer, Nathalie Rey veNevet Yitzhak
Curator: Ayça Okay
KarmaComa is proliferated by daytime television programs and summer soap operas, filled with interpersonal situations dominated by melodrama and focused on cliché events. It serves as a critique and a means of escaping Turkey's current state's socio-political, economic, and cultural complexities. The exhibition takes a whimsical and carefree approach, taking cues from the vibrant city of Bodrum, with its colorful begonias, salty sea air, and delightful breezes by creating a fictional and dystopian place.
KarmaComa, much like the tumultuous periods brought by modernity, draws its nourishment from theatrical rebellion against problems seen in periods of turmoil throughout history and seeks to address contemporary issues through an avant-garde perspective. The exhibition echoes the colorful, geometric, and fairytale-like qualities found in Oskar Schemmler's Bauhaus opera, embracing a similar attitude in its presentation by bringing together works from various disciplines consisting of animal skin masks, transformed ceramic cups, and non-functional water guns, along with performances of nightlife and stage sets. Furthermore, KarmaComa delves into internet memes, imaginary journeys to fictional cities, interpreting images as text using computer technologies, and animated visuals crafted through traditional weaving techniques. It intertwines these diverse elements to explore themes such as passion, pain, inner discovery, and the stages of healing, drawing parallels to their portrayal in our daily lives and the world of melodrama.
Through KarmaComa, we invite viewers to embrace the theatrical and imaginative aspects of art, challenging the status quo and inviting a fresh perspective on the complexities of our society.
