Outlet//Independent Art Space will be hosting the first comprehensive solo exhibition of Amsterdam-based artist Servet Kocyigit in Turkey. The exhibition will showcase video, photo and installation works by the artist, which have never been seen before by Turkish audience between March 2 and April 10.

Every year since 2005, the artist has been realizing new works while travelling within different regions of Turkey. In order to develop a critical perspective to the artistic production wedged in Istanbul, Servet Koçyiğit spends long time in the cities he visits and his work is often inspired from people who live in these cities.

In the entrance floor, his recent photographs taken in Hasankeyf and Tigris Valley in 2008 will be on display in addition to a selection of his previous works produced over the course of 12 years. Downstairs the gallery will stage a new installation which the artist has developed for the exhibition as well as his poetic video “To Die For” produced in 2004.

Servet Koçyiğit developed his work with many different materials at different stages of his career. Adopting a simple and poetic language, he uses ordinary objects to create a hidden complexity, allowing the viewer to understand the depth that lies in everyday life. Koçyiğit works with many different mediums, such as video, photography, humans, and inanimate objects. Every work of art is created in such a way that there is no relativity in situations or object. He strays from the ordinary and aims to break the rules. The artist touches upon many issues during these queries; the women’s social position, modernisation, banality of everyday life, and politics. These works can be defined as “conceptual art”, although they are works which are visually scrubbed, easily understood, and slightly cynical to the realities of life. It is because of this, that he cannot be categorized or labelled as a particular type of artist. Servet Koçyiğit is also into other forms of art and its intersections, and although his work is related to architecture, cinema, and design, he goes above the bar to make the aesthetic, humane.

Hybridity is central in grasping the works of Koçyiğit. Inspired by interacting with different cultures in different countries, his works are marked by the same sense of rootlessness. Thus, they share a common interest in the visible manifestation of the “universal”, rather than the “local”.

The photography and video works that are divided between the poetic imagination of the artist and the weight of truth, plain and simple, make an unusual intersection visible. The artist recreates the forms, situations, the objects as well as the functions into altered meanings and expressions. Servet Koçyiğit’s work offer the viewer a different point of view.

The video “To Die For” (2003) refers to the popular song “You’ll never walk alone”. The song, which was originally written for Broadway in 1945, has been taken up, reinterpreted and appropriated by many different groups over the years. The video introduces the artist’s own rendition of the song. First adopted as a dedication to British soldiers serving in the Second World War, the song was taken up consecutively by gay rights groups, Christian communities and football fans. While the artist is lying on the floor we hear 20.000 football fans singing the same song, recorded live in Liverpool Stadium. Eventually they are joined by the artist’s voice and birds of different color come out of his chest and fly around.

Born in 1971 in Turkey, Servet Kocyiğit has lived and worked abroad, in particular in the Netherlands, as well as in Germany, France, Israel and Georgia for the past 15 years. His works have been exhibited at prestigious institutions and exhibitions worldwide. Among his selected exhibitions are Tanas, Berlin, Germany (2009); Outlet, Istanbul (2009), Biennale Cuvée, Linz, Austria (2008), 27^th Sao Paulo Biennial (2006), 9^th Istanbul Biennial (2005), exhibitions at Palais des Beaux-arts de Lille, France (2009), Smart Project Space, Amsterdam (2007), Israel Museum, Jerusalem (2006), Haifa Museum, Haifa (2006), MuHKA, Antwerp, Belgium (2005), De Appel, Amsterdam (2001), Netherlands Foto Institut (2001), Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum, Germany (2000).

The exhibition “Under the Counter” will be open from March, 2 until April, 10; Tuesday to Saturday between 10:00 and 18:30.

ABOUT OUTLET

Outlet is a venture to bring art, regarded as a luxury commodity, to the masses, in a time and space where social and cultural inequity is ever more deeply entrenched. Outlet hopes to provide an innovative and vigorous platform for an artistic context wedged between the city's many bank galleries, private institutions and museums. Outlet is run by Azra Tüzünoğlu with support of Canan Pak, AYK, Mas Printing, BenQ, Point Hotel, Beck’s, Coca Cola, Net Copy Center and Derin Design.

WHEN:

Opening: 2 March 18.30-20.30

Exhibition: 2 March – 10 April

Visiting Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10.00 – 18.30

WHERE:

Outlet//Independent Art Space

Bogazkesen Cad.

Kadirler Yokuşu No: 69

Tophane-Istanbul

www.outlet-istanbul.org

www.outlet-istanbul.blogspot.com

For Further Info,

Amira Akbıyıkoğlu

0212 245 55 05 OR info@outlet-istanbul.org/ outletistanbul@gmail.com