In this project I wanted to create some flyers which have unreadable writings and I wanted to distribute them to people on the street in order to communicate with them. With this way I can share my works with people and I also can observe the reaction. At the same time I believe that it’s a great way to think about what is art or artwork or what makes them an artwork because I used traditional printing methods (serigraphy) instead of digital printing. And just because I distribute them, it isn’t a simple flyer. It is an artwork that I make. If you want you can hang it on the wall with a frame and it can also have a possibility to exhibit or even sell. So it’s just a choice of people. Maybe even this “choice” make them an artwork or a rubbish.
In Between / Arada / Tra
“Torn Between – Istanbul - 2010”
conducted by: Antoni Muntadas
afis 2010 from Gunes Oktay on Vimeo.
Twenty unreadable posters reflecting me that I've affixed at various locations in the city in order to communicate with the street. They were able to last for two days only, stuck between the publicity posters and Istanbul's fast changing pace.
While the posters I've affixed on temporary panels or on anonymous walls also lasted for two days average, usually the people whose houses face that direction didn't want to see the posters and reacted. Additionally, these posters were collected by garbagemen the morning after.
And the people passing by generally showed interest in the posters and tried to read them while questioning what they mean.
transforms of the posters in istanbul streets...
“Torn Between – Berlin – 2011”
I have created a set of artworks as a sequel to a project that I have made earlier in Istanbul.
Hanging handmade posters in between digitally printed adverts/bulletins has served as an
observation and documentation in this fast paced cycle as well as an alternative kind of viewpoint to
the conventional artwork understanding.
In this way, I am able to share my work with people directly and measure the reactions
that might differ due to cultural differences in different countries. This also illustrates how
art gets perceived by different cultures.
When I implemented this project in Istanbul, I have used pieces that looked like posters with
unreadable writings and hanged them on the walls which I picked in relation to the works I
have prepared. In the end, people wouldn't understand if they were adverts, political posters or
artworks. Same can be said for my implementation in Berlin, the second staging city for my project.
For a city as cosmopolitan and multilingual as Berlin, my posters consisting of unreadable writings
haven't meant much to the city's residents.
“Torn Between – Barcelona – 2012”
