[Nettime-ro] Opening Saturday - Fikret Atay atBüroFriedrich

[BüroFriedrich <office@buerofriedrich.org>]

We like to invite you to our new show


FIKRET ATAY

opening: 17.01.04, 6 - 9 pm

duration: till 28.02.04

BüroFriedrich presents the first solo exhibition of the young
Turkish-Kurdish artist Fikret Atay. The location of the artist's
hometown, Batman, serves as the primary basis of his recent video
works. In this Kurdish area near the Turkey-Iraq border, where
poverty, military intervention and political oppression are part of
everyday life, it is next to impossible to produce art. Yet Atay has
deliberately chosen to remain there, to live and work in this city,
and finds the inspiration for his short films in these very
circumstances.

In his videos, the artist observes the daily lives of young people in
his town. Through a very simple mise-en-scène, with a hand-held
camera and a particular  sense for framing, he juxtaposes traditional
cultural backgrounds and western influences, but does so without
passing judgement. Removing actions and events from the given context
of his hometown, he exposes codes that are common to us all.

The artist selects a specific aspect of local culture and underlines
universal components. In "Rebels of the Dance" (2002), we see a
trashy modern video clip but with a 'traditional' content. Atay
filmed two teenage boys near an ATM (cash machine) who sing an
undecipherable text that is soon accompanied by a dance. The shift
between tradition and modernity, in this case local and global
culture codes, serves as the ultimate symbol of our new world.

The video "Bang Bang!" (2003) shows four boys 'playing' war, between
two immobile trains. Atay follows the two teams with his shaky,
war-coverage filming style, while they target each other with toy
pistols like players in an organic video game. The game ends with the
dramatic "death" of one group. An everyday pastime of boys throughout
the world takes another meaning altogether in the context of the
geopolitical situation of Batman.

In his video "Fast and Best!" (2002) Atay presents a group of young
people, practicing a traditional folkloric dance. The artist filmed
the dancers from the waist up, so that it is almost impossible to
figure out which dancer is a woman and which is a man. What stands
out much more is the equality, the similar trousers, the shoes and
the synchronised steps.


Fikret Atay was born in Batman, Turkey in 1976. He studied Fine Arts
at the University of Dicle. Among his recent exhibitions, he
participated in Poetic Justice, the 8th International Biennale,
Istanbul; U-Topos, the 2nd Tirana Biennale (Albany); In den
Schluchten des Balkans, Kunsthalle Friedericianum, Kassel and
Undesire, Apexart Curatorial Program, NY.

For further information, please contact Waling Boers or Alexandra Saheb
--
*********************
BüroFriedrich
Holzmarktstrasse 15 - 18
S-Bahnbögen 53-54
10179 Berlin
Germany

tel: +49 (0)30 201 65115
fax: +49 (0)30 201 65114
office@buerofriedrich.org

www.buerofriedrich.org
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