Umut Azad Akkel’s exhibition titled “It/Ortada” will be on view at İMALAT-HANE İMÇ on October 24th. The exhibition is a kind of invitation to play together to understand social relations and power dynamics!
“It/Ortada”, the first solo exhibition of Umut Azad Akkel in Istanbul, aims to offer an experience in which the social codes (oppressor/oppressed, victim/perpetrator) examined in Paulo Freire’s book Pedagogy of the Oppressed are addressed through a theme of game. This project, which examines the possibility of potential opposites of concepts that we think are basic and common, invites us to think about the possibility that concepts such as equality, discrimination and pleasure do not stand in the same place for everyone and that we can actually turn into “agents” while questioning these differences. At the same time, it asks questions about our social spaces, based on the artist’s own life experiences of ruptures, social exclusions, belongings and being part of a social group or not.
Is it possible for the oppressed, who emulate the ruler, to use the same mechanisms of domination and control in a scenario where the roles are reversed? What does this possibility say about the source of the tension between the ruler and the oppressed?
A game presents these dynamics as a simulation, addressing oppositions such as equality and privilege, winning and losing, strength and weakness in a participatory way and allowing us to question the roles we assume both in a game and in real life. In a game whose claim is to start on equal terms, reviewing the advantaged and disadvantaged sides makes us think about how inequality and discrimination are interconnected, and the desire to harm that reveals itself in the game opens up the possible agency of the sense of competition and victory to discussion. It scrutinizes the contradictory areas where we cannot leave the comfort zone of privilege while envisioning equalization.
In their work, Akkel focuses on identity politics, urban transformation, ownership of public space, and personal and collective vulnerabilities that intersect with both private and public relations. Akkel’s work adopts a form of expression that conceals vulnerabilities by combining industrial, ready-made and construction materials with performative elements. In addition to their solo art practice, Akkel develops events on cultural and political identity such as “Fava Connection”, “Iran 101” and “Korean Nomad’.
Ozan Ünlükoç, who curated the exhibition, has been working with young artists producing queer-oriented work for a long time, and has been working as the administrative coordinator at Argonotlar since 2020.
The exhibition will be on view from October 24 to December 29, 2024 and the public program drafted in parallel will be announced soon on the İMALAT-HANE website and social media accounts.
The exhibition “It/Ortada” and the public program are organized with the support of Goethe-Institut Istanbul. İMALAT-HANE provides venue and promotional support for the project.
Tuesday-Saturday:
11.00—19.00
Sunday: 12.00—18.00
Monday: Closed