Huseyin Bahri Alptekin
Encyclopedia
Hüseyin Bahri Alptekin (Ankara
, 1957 - Istanbul
, 2007) 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. He also conducted workshops and seminars on contemporary art
and design in Turkey
and abroad; taught philosophy of art at Bilkent University
in Ankara (1990–1994); and was the coordinator of exhibitions and cultural activities for the Habitat II
NGO-City Summit, Istanbul. He taught at Istanbul Bilgi University
from 2000 to 2004.
Beginning with his early co-authored work with artist Michael Morris, Alptekin was a determined collaborator interested in authorless production, and went on to form many groups throughout his career such as Grup Grip-in, the Sea Elephant Travel Agency (2000–2004) and the Bunker Research Group. Working with a variety of media, Alptekin explored the underbelly of globalization
through historical traces, travel, place, memory and time. His installations are composed of found, used and replicated items that came from, or were developed in response to, a vast archive of personal research material. These collections, which nearly always include intricate layers of repetition, are organized according to Altepkin's personal systems of visual narrative. In his series Incidents, disparate tales are woven together to present a touching impression of how an individual can control and organize one moment in space and time.
Alptekin's work has been exhibited extensively internationally. In 2007, under the curatorship of Vasif Kortun
, Alptekin represented Turkey in the 52nd Venice Biennale
with the installation Don’t Complain http://www.biennale07-turkey.org/giris_en.asp?m1=ana, which featured videos from the Incidents series shown in wooden dining cabins inspired by a style of public dining from West Asia
. Also in 2007, Alptekin was selected to present work in the exhibition Global Cities http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/globalcities/default.shtm at Tate Modern
with the installation Incidents Mumbai and Istanbul; presented a major work in the exhibition This Then That at Rodeo http://www.rodeo-gallery.com/rodeo/, Istanbul; and participated in the inaugural exhibition Modern and Beyond at SantralIstanbul
http://www.santralistanbul.org/main/index/en. Amongst his participation in many other exhibitions and residencies, in 2005 Alptekin's work was included in the 3rd Tirana Biennial, in 2004 in Manifesta
5, in 1998 in the São Paulo
Biennial, and in 1995 and 2005 in the International Istanbul Biennial
.
Opened April 9, 2011 at SALT
Beyoğlu, the exhibition "I am not a studio artist" brings together works from every period in Alptekin's career along with five new commissions that respond to his life and work by artists Can Altay, Gülsün Karamustafa, Gabriel Lester
, Camila Rocha and Nedko Solakov.
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, 1957 - 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...
, 2007) was an artist, writer, educator and curator. He studied aesthetics and the philosophy of art
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
and sociology in Istanbul and Paris-I Sorbonne. Alptekin worked as a press photographer
Photojournalism
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism...
and an art, media and design critic. He also conducted workshops and seminars on contemporary art
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...
and design in 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...
and abroad; taught philosophy of art at Bilkent University
Bilkent University
İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University, commonly referred to as Bilkent University or Bilkent, is the first private, nonprofit university in Turkey with the fundamental aim of creating a center of excellence in higher education and research...
in Ankara (1990–1994); and was the coordinator of exhibitions and cultural activities for the Habitat II
Habitat II
Habitat II - the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements - was held in Istanbul, Turkey from June 3–14, 1996, twenty years after the 1976 Habitat conference in Vancouver that had led to the establishment of the Nairobi-based United Nations Centre on Human Settlements. The twin...
NGO-City Summit, Istanbul. He taught at Istanbul Bilgi University
Istanbul Bilgi University
Istanbul Bilgi University is a private, non-profit university in Istanbul, Turkey. It was actually established in 1994 under the name ISIS , but its name was changed to Istanbul Bilgi University with the foundation of the school on June 7, 1996...
from 2000 to 2004.
Beginning with his early co-authored work with artist Michael Morris, Alptekin was a determined collaborator interested in authorless production, and went on to form many groups throughout his career such as Grup Grip-in, the Sea Elephant Travel Agency (2000–2004) and the Bunker Research Group. Working with a variety of media, Alptekin explored the underbelly of globalization
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
through historical traces, travel, place, memory and time. His installations are composed of found, used and replicated items that came from, or were developed in response to, a vast archive of personal research material. These collections, which nearly always include intricate layers of repetition, are organized according to Altepkin's personal systems of visual narrative. In his series Incidents, disparate tales are woven together to present a touching impression of how an individual can control and organize one moment in space and time.
Alptekin's work has been exhibited extensively internationally. In 2007, under the curatorship of 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....
, Alptekin represented Turkey in the 52nd Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
with the installation Don’t Complain http://www.biennale07-turkey.org/giris_en.asp?m1=ana, which featured videos from the Incidents series shown in wooden dining cabins inspired by a style of public dining from West Asia
Southwest Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia are terms that describe the westernmost portion of Asia. The terms are partly coterminous with the Middle East, which describes a geographical position in relation to Western Europe rather than its location within Asia...
. Also in 2007, Alptekin was selected to present work in the exhibition Global Cities http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/globalcities/default.shtm at Tate Modern
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
with the installation Incidents Mumbai and Istanbul; presented a major work in the exhibition This Then That at Rodeo http://www.rodeo-gallery.com/rodeo/, Istanbul; and participated in the inaugural exhibition Modern and Beyond at SantralIstanbul
SantralIstanbul
The SantralIstanbul , opened in 2007, is an arts and cultural complex located at the upper end of Golden Horn in the Eyüp district of Istanbul, Turkey...
http://www.santralistanbul.org/main/index/en. Amongst his participation in many other exhibitions and residencies, in 2005 Alptekin's work was included in the 3rd Tirana Biennial, in 2004 in Manifesta
Manifesta
Manifesta, the , is a European pan-regional contemporary cultural biennale, described in 2010 by the as "stunning in its scope and uncompromisingly experimental in its approach".-Manifesta History:...
5, in 1998 in the São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
Biennial, and in 1995 and 2005 in the International Istanbul Biennial
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...
.
Opened April 9, 2011 at 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...
Beyoğlu, the exhibition "I am not a studio artist" brings together works from every period in Alptekin's career along with five new commissions that respond to his life and work by artists Can Altay, Gülsün Karamustafa, Gabriel Lester
Gabriel Lester
Gabriel Lester is a visual artist, and film director living and working in the Benelux. His practice encompasses music, cinema, spatial installation, performance art, sculpture, architecture, photography, and prose....
, Camila Rocha and Nedko Solakov.