YAG/GARAGE INTERNATIONAL |ITALY, TÜRKIYE

From 18.11 to 9.12

Opening 18.11.23 - h. 18.00

Via Caravaggio, 125 - Pescara

After organizing exhibitions featuring emerging authors from Africa, the United States, and Chile, YAG/garage has partnered with Istanbul's Elgiz Museum, an institution dedicated to promoting contemporary art in Turkey and supporting the international visibility of young Turkish artists. This initiative follows the same two-phase approach as the first three editions of YAG/garage INTERNATIONAL:

1. A virtual exhibition, accessible on the gallery website from October 1st.
2. An exhibition at the via Caravaggio location, open for visitation starting from November 18th.

The virtual exhibition showcases visual representations of artworks by 15 artists selected from a shortlist of 30 candidates chosen by Sevda Elgiz, alongside her collaborators Melike Yürekli and Selin Gunes.

The participating authors in the virtual exhibition include: Bengü Karaduman, Gül İclal Öner Yıldız, Esra Oskay, Bahadir Hizol, Pelin Bulu Yilmaz, Eymen Aktel, Sevval Konyali, Levent Ayata, Ugur Omer Pekince, Mehmet Ali Boran, Zeynep Merve Çiçek, Can Akgümüş, Emrah Önal, Esra Doğan, and Nurgul Gokcen.

An expert panel will evaluate the works of these young talents and select 10 of them to exhibit in Pescara in November. The panel consists of Ivan D'Alberto, the artistic director of YAG/garage; Silvio Maresca, the founder of the Pescara space; Martina Sconci, the director of L'Aquila's MuSpAC; Maila Buglioni, the editor-in-chief of Segnonline magazine; and Alessandra Arnò, the director of Milan's Visualcontainer.

The first four artists chosen for the Pescara exhibition will receive cash prizes, and all 10 will have one of their works added to YAG/garage's permanent collection. The details of the exhibition appointment will be documented in the general catalog of the Pescara gallery, to be presented to the public in 2024.

The decision to explore young Turkish art was driven by the current economic and political situation in the country. Many artists in this region are dedicated to creating socio-politically oriented works to draw attention to Turkey's challenging realities. However, such a commitment faces resistance in both the political and economic realms. Recent earthquakes in the southern part of the country, near the Syrian border, have further disrupted an already fragile balance. In a general state of emergency, it is challenging to allocate resources to the cultural sector, which also faces strong pressures limiting freedom of expression.

The chosen image for the exhibition's graphics, symbolizing the connection between the Elgiz Museum and YAG/garage, whether in the virtual or physical realm, is from Mehmet Ali Boran and references the 2011 video performance "Area Defense."