ISTANBUL.- Pera Museum is presenting a contemporary art exhibition exploring the multi-layered architectural, historical and sociocultural significance of the Galatasaray High School on the occasion of its 150th anniversary between 14 September and 25 November.
“School Square Galatasaray” exhibition, aims to gaze into the past from the vantage point of the present through artworks by ten artists and groups that relate to the location, function, history and space of Galatasaray High School by means of painting, sculpture, installation, photography, video, sound and performance. Curated by Çelenk Bafra, the exhibition brings together new productions by Antonio Cosentino, Barış Göktürk, biriken, Burak Delier, Elvan Alpay, Hasan Deniz, Hera Büyüktaşçıyan and Vahit Tuna along with Ali Kazma and Cemal Emden’s recent works.
Galatasaray High School, which has roots going back to 1481, and opened to service as a high-school under the name Mekteb-i Sultani on 1 September 1868 by Sultan Abdulaziz, is not only considered as one of Turkey’s esteemed educational institutions; but as its first secular state school integrated to Europe. In the 19th century students of the Imperial School (Mekteb-i Sultânî), most of whom came from families who had embraced modernization, were being raised with the French-style education, and the fact that their school was located in a Western neighbourhood of Pera, upon the Grande Rue de Péra. With a mission beyond merely raising well-qualified students for posts in the academy, bureaucracy, diplomacy and business world, Galatasaray High School hosted many cultural and artistic events. With countless performances, conferences, festivals and exhibitions involving theatre, film, music, literature and the visual arts, it has become a meeting point or “square”, almost a public ground for cultural and artistic circles. Since the school was first established as the palace (saray) of the Galata area, the square might have taken its name from the school. Yet in time, the square’s name took on asignificance beyond its location in front of a school, becoming familiar as one of the crucial public spaces in Turkey’s social memory, even among people who have never seen it.
The exhibition catalog of “School Square Galatasaray” includes essays by Çelenk Bafra, Besim F. Dellaloğlu, and Murat Alat as well as photographs by Cemal Emden. Although the insider’s look of the graduate artists of Galatasaray High School and the reflection of their personal experiences on their artistic practices have been considered valuable, Çelenk Bafra emphasizes the attempt to make room for perspectives to be brought in by artists looking upon the school, an organic part of the city for 150 years, from the square – namely, from the outside. According to Bafra, “School Square Galatasaray” exhibition ‘attempts “square”ly to expose the school’s interior as seen through the eyes of artists, thus opening it up to the public through artistic discourse’ and with its catalogue and public program, “School Square Galatasaray” will prompt a (re)discovery of this iconic school that has stood for the past 150 years through contemporary visual arts.
As part of the exhibition, a performance by biriken (Melis Tezkan, Okan Urun) will take place on September 14 and 18. Following the performance on the 14th at 18:30, biriken and Çelenk Bafra will be in conversation at the gallery.
The exhibition is on view at the Pera Museum, Istanbul, Turkey between 14 September - 25 November, 2018.
