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Artists' Film International exhibition at Istanbul Modern

From August 14, Istanbul Modern hosts the Artists’ Film International program featuring videos, animations and short films by artists from around the world. In its 14th year, the program focuses on the theme of “Care.”

Following the online screenings of the Artists’ Film International program, Istanbul Modern hosts an exhibition at its temporary space in Beyoğlu showcasing films from the program. The exhibition features 9 films selected by Istanbul Modern Chief Curator Öykü Özsoy and Assistant Curator Nilay Dursun who have designed the exhibition program.

Films by Sena Başöz (Istanbul Modern, Turkey); Thania Petersen (Bag Factory, Johannesburg, South Africa); Clare Langan (Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, Ireland); Giulio Squillacciotti (GAMeC / Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, Bergamo, Italy); Himali Singh Soin (Project 88, Mumbai, India); Agnė Jokšė (CAC / Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania); Rehana Zaman (Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK); Patty Chang (Ballroom Marfa, Marfa, Texas, USA) and Kiri Dalena (MCAD / Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Manila, Philippines) will be available for viewing between August 14, 2021 and February 27, 2022.

This year the videos focus on the theme of “care.” The need to care about all the elements that bring life together is becoming more and more urgent – from nature to the environment, from animals to plants and people. It is also crucial to address the forms of relationships we establish with each other as countries and individuals carefully. Today, the phenomenon of “care” is felt even more deeply especially after a year of lockdowns across the world due to a virus, which confined people to their homes and prompted them to focus on their ability to act collectively upon the same needs in order to continue their lives.

9 artist films

The films screened in the program on the -1st floor of the Museum are:

"KASSARAM", 2020 (Thania Petersen), “Invocation for a Wandering Lake: Part 1 & 2,” 2016 (Patty Chang), “Dear Friend”, 2019 (Agnė Jokšė), “Flight from the City”, 2015 (Clare Langan), “What Has Left Since we Left”, 2020 (Giulio Squillacciotti), “The Box”, 2020 (Sena Başöz), “Mag-uuma (Farmer), 2014” (Kiri Dalena), “Setting the Stage for a Gathering of Friends,” 2020 (Himali Singh Soin) and “Sharla, Shabana, Sojourner, Selena”, 2016 (Rehana Zaman).

Sena Başöz: Guest artist of 2021

Invited by Istanbul Modern, artist Sena Başöz is a guest in the 2021 program. Başöz’s video “The Box” will be screened in 2021 by Istanbul Modern and by the program’s international partner organizations.

Who is Sena Başöz?

Artist and director Sena Başöz (b. 1980, İzmir, Turkey) lives and works in Istanbul. She received her BA in Economics from Boğaziçi University in 2002 and MFA from Bard College Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts in Film and Video in 2010. Her recent solo exhibitions include “Ars Oblivionis”, Lotsremark Projekte, Basel (2020); A Consolation, Krank Art Gallery, Istanbul (2020); “Hold on Let go”, MO-NO-HA Seongsu, Seoul (2020) and “On Lightness”, DEPO Istanbul (2018). She has participated in group exhibitions such as “Transitorische Turbulenzen”, Kunstraum Dreiviertel, Bern (2020); “Studio Bosporus”, Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin (2018); “Quiet Dialogue”, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum (2018) and “Sharjah Biennial Offsite Exhibition: Bahar”, Istanbul (2017). She participated in artist residencies at Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris (2017), Atelierhaus Salzamt, Linz (2010) and Delfina Foundation, London (2020).

Sena Başöz’s artwork focuses on healing processes after cases of trauma evolving out of the importance of care, the ways nature self-regenerates creating a balance in the long run and the organism's capacity to repair itself.

In collaboration with 22 partner organizations

Established by the Whitechapel Gallery, London in 2008, Artists’ Film International continues its journey with 22 global partner organizations, where each organization selects an exciting recent work on that year’s specific theme by an artist from their region, which is then shared amongst the network. In the past years, Istanbul Modern participated in the program with videos by Ali Kazma, İnci Eviner, Sefer Memişoğlu, Bengü Karaduman, Burak Delier, Vahap Avşar, Zeyno Pekünlü, Cengiz Tekin, Pelin Kırca, Senem Gökçe Oğultekin and Ergin Çavuşoğlu.

Artists’ Film International 2021 Program Partners

Bag Factory, Johannesburg South Africa

Ballroom Marfa, Marfa, Texas, USA

Belgrade Cultural Centre, Belgrade, Serbia

Bonniers Konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden

CAC / Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania

CCAA / Centre for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan, Kabul, Afghanistan

Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, Ireland

Fundación PROA, Buenos Aires, Argentina

GAMeC / Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Bergamo, Italy

Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, USA

KWM artcenter, Beijing, China