In collaboration with Performistanbul and ALAN İstanbul, Leman S. Darıcıoğlu’s performance titled Empoisoned Princess will be presented between 6th and 15th of February in Tarlabaşı neighbourhood and ALAN İstanbul.
Tarlabaşı is a low-income Romani and Kurdish neighbourhood that also serves as a sanctuary for Turkey’s marginalised population. Located in the heart of the city, near Istiklal Caddesi in Taksim, Tarlabaşı area has been undergoing renewal after many families were forced from their homes and historical buildings were demolished.
The performance consists of two parts. In the live performance section, the artist will be wandering in Tarlabaşı streets to collect the remaining traces of the princess, while keeping a diary of this quest by filming and taking photographs. Meanwhile, the second part takes place in the gallery space of ALAN Istanbul where the artist presents an active placement of the collected objects and data, which keep evolving and growing everyday and give life to the princess.
If Tarlabaşı were a princess, where did she live; where did she use to hang around in the neighbourhood; who was her mother, her father, her friends and her lovers; why was she empoisoned and how is her treatment process going on now…
Presented by Performistanbul, in collaboration with ALAN Istanbul, Leman S. Darıcıoğlu aims to investigate these questions through the “present state” of the streets, the memory of the district, the city itself and its transformation and at the same time points out the impact of the gentrification on the district by showing what has been effaced and what currently stands as reality.
Turkey’s only dedicated performance art platform, Performistanbul wishes to raise awareness and highlight an important cultural issue through the cutting-edge work of the artist and to mark a new chapter for the performance art scene in Turkey.
Efe Korkut Kurt, Founding Director of ALAN Istanbul says: “Leman Darıcıoğlu’s performance is in parallel with ALAN Istanbul’s reason of being which has been shaped in the multi-layered identity of Istanbul. The performance creates its own concept of “time” and “experience” during the journey of the artist between Tarlabaşı neighbourhood and ALAN Istanbul, both located at the heart of Beyoğlu district. The emotional relationship established by the heterogeneity of the district is recreated by the advanced techniques of performance art and is narrated through dialogues of the modern world. I find this unique power of contemporary art in expressing social and cultural conflicts very valuable. Empoisoned Princess will bring the traces of memories from the underprivileged Tarlabaşı to ALAN Istanbul’s 100 year-old typical bourgeois building of Beyoğlu, which was turned into a gallery place as a result of another
gentrification story. In this respect, the performance will find its place in Beyoğlu’s memory as a lively action created in the agony of losing an important part of your culture. ALAN Istanbul and Performistanbul are two platforms aiming to support art production in Turkey and as a result of this strong collaboration, we wish to record this performance both as an
experience and an activist moment which will be an archive contributing to our cultural heritage.”
Empoisoned Princess
Artists: Leman S. Darıcıoğlu
Live Performance: 6-10 February, 15.00-19.00
11-12 February, 11.00-19.00
13-15 February, 11.00-13.00 / 17.00-19.00
Active Placement: 6-15 February, 11.00-19.00
Venue: ALAN İstanbul, Asmalı Mescit Cad. 5/2, 34430 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Presented by Performistanbul in collaboration with ALAN Istanbul
Free Admission
PERFORMISTANBUL
Following its successful launch at the beginning of 2016, the platform has been the pioneering organisation in Istanbul’s arts scene to support performance artists and foster performance art. In this new season, the platform will continue to work on new projects in collaboration with the leading art institutions of Istanbul including The Pill, Alan Istanbul, Art On Istanbul and Pera Museum.
First International Platform in Turkey to Bring Performance Artists Together Performistanbul is a performance platform founded by ballet critic and performance curator Simge Burhanoğlu with the aim to unite performance artists under one roof, and promote their participation in new projects.
As the first platform to unite contemporary performance artists, Performistanbul was established to support performance artists, foster their practice and reach more audiences to experience challenging and creative performance work. Performistanbul introduces a number of national and international artists to premiere new works in Istanbul’s most respected venues.
Artists performing new commissions and premiers of their work within Performistanbul include AslieMk (duo project of Aslı Dinç and Mustafa Kemal Yurttaş), Ali Ismail Doğruel, Batu Bozoğlu, Ebru Sargın, Ekin Bernay, Gülhatun Yıldırım and Suzan D. Polat. Taking a fresh look at what contemporary performance mean today, works span a wide range including sculptural elements, movement, video, image, text and spoken word.
The primary aim of this organization is to enable artists to focus on their artistic production and establish relationships with different institutions, in order to provide a creative working environment in this field. Performistanbul aims not only to provide a platform for performance artists, but also to create sustained public engagement and support for the growth of performance art in Turkey to ensure its legacy.
Performistanbul collaborates with foundations and institutions that share the same visionary ambition to support cutting edge performance practices, aiming to bring creative ideas to life, through finding funding and suitable venues for different projects, as well as producing site- specific performances. An active platform for supporting emerging talent, both national and international artists from different performance disciplines continue their work within the body of the organisation.
Website: www.performistanbul.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Performistanbul
Instagram: www.instagram.com/Performistanbul
ALAN Istanbul
The main objective of ALAN Istanbul is to contribute the production of contemporary art, which is independent and innovative. It is aimed to trigger spatial, social and financial elements for the art. ALAN Istanbul is founded to take place within the contemporary art worldwide, to bring contemporary art of the world to Istanbul and to take the production that made in Istanbul to the world.
ALAN Istanbul hosts both national and international exhibitions and projects of contemporary artists. ALAN Istanbul is a living venue with performance arts, video and movie shows, as well as plastic and visual art exhibitions. ALAN Istanbul is not only an art gallery, but also is a free and independent place for artistic activities. Within the scope of “Project Rooms” ALAN Istanbul also opens its doors to various expression tools of social interactions.
ALAN Istanbul is a location in which artist and designers of different disciplines may exhibit their works and can be observable in one of the most cultural and intensive regions of the city. In this respect, ALAN Istanbul does not only a physical venue, but also aim to be a social place and help artistic works be part of social interactions. Within the context of both spatial and performed exhibitions and projects, ALAN Istanbul became a constant part of Istanbul artnetwork and took its place in the agenda of dynamic and contemporary art audience.
With the art works in its permanent collection and its expert team, ALAN Istanbul is a reliable consultant for collectors, provides consulting service to whom desire to develop and provide their collections, as well as to whom to create collections get through to next generations or to collectors in beginner level.
Website: www.alanistanbul.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ALANIstanbul
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ALANIstanbul
Leman Darıcıoğlu
1985. Born in Izmir, currently lives & works in Istanbul. Member of Istanbul Queer Art Collective, the artist produces in the fields of visual and performance art and views the body as a “resource to be unraveled”. Seeing private lives as a manifestation of social lives, she often creates projects inspired from her personal life and experiences. Since June 2016 she has been pursuing queer performance project fuckmekitty. She’s trying to use her art as a tool of transforming her self, her limits and her subjectivity. She’s in the advisor team of a selection of Queer Theory called “Queer Düş’ün” / “Queer Fantasy” in Sel Publishing House and translator of some queer books. She edited and compiled a queer theory book called “Queer Temaşa” in Sel Publishing House (2016). http://lemandaricioglu.tumblr.com/
