DEEPLY AND PROFOUNDLY

Ateş Alpar’s exhibition entitled “Deeply and Profoundly” can be seen at Bilsart between the dates of October 18 – 28, 2023.

Queer Nightlife is part of the anti-system struggle of a community which has been exposed to reckless discrimination and oppression. It illuminates and colours the night, and sometimes works as a creative dynamo that intensifies it. This dynamo inhabits a ground that goes beyond the contemporary culture which is conditioned to pure consumption and entertainment. Queer Nightlife is a therapeutic moment of fermentation in which it captures the ground of various encounters, horizontal intimacy, cross patterns, solidaristic relations and social struggles.

Deeply and Profoundly are poetic images of the whispers that have always been transmitted through generations. As the whispers rise, a strong rejection of the existence of fictional bodies is revealed. The possibility of representation is problematised in the face of accepted norms and denial. The series of photographs and videos listen to the murmurs coming from the depths. Queer nightlife, where the murmurs turn into sounds, the routine is interrupted, and the implicit and explicit pleasure are experienced together, also explores the possibilities of reproduction.

Thanks to

Akış Ka, babykilla, Candle Gender, Çiçek Çocuk, Debonair Detsuki, Dudakların Cengi, Elif KK, Enestrofi, Femme Gazelle, Florence Konstantina Delight, KiKi ggNash, Lilith 12, Madır Öktiş, Midnight X, O.C. VAN. 2000, Pepi IV, Q-Bra, Salomè, Şevval Kılıç, Willie Ray

ABOUT ATEŞ ALPAR

(b. 1988, Mardin-Nusaybin)

Ateş Alpar, who conveys the images to the viewer in a detailed and meticulous way with real and metaphorical meaning, works with various media including video, performance, sound, photography, and site-specific installations. Focusing on issues such as border, security tools, cultural destruction/colonial politics and identity fluidity; the ambiguity of history and the concept of memory are at the centre of the artistic productions of Alpar. His work consists of long-term projects which span over years; spreading the themes he dwells on over time, Alpar conveys his observations by filtering his experiences from the paths he traveled in different periods. Incorporating collective thinking practices into the production process, the artist publicises their experiences and encourages dialogue. The elaborative approach that divides and reassembles history is aimed at building a bridge between the past, present and future; it allows the viewer to track the zig-zag traces of the processes of social and cultural change and lays the groundwork for the construction of counter-memory and counter-archive.

Alpar lives and works between Mardin, Adana and İstanbul.

Invited as the artist in residence of Performistanbul in 2022, Alpar opened his first solo exhibition at Merdiven Art Space, Istanbul in 2023.

Selected Group Exhibitions:

KarmaComa / Anna Laudel, Bodrum (2023), It Doesn’t Matter Until It Does / Martch Art Project, Istanbul (2023), Revolte / Zemin Gallery, Berlin (2023), 7.8.7.5 / The Grey Space in the Middle, Den Haag (2023), Tekinsiz / Meteor, Bursa (2022), Lost Wax / Ferda Art Platform, Istanbul (2022), Hadi Bana Geçelim / Koli Art Space, Istanbul (2022), Sessizlik Biçimleri / Istanbul Edebiyat Evi, Istanbul (2021), Turkish Delight / Bethnal Green, London (2020), LadyFest / Dramaqueer, Istanbul (2018).

Performances:

The Universal History of Stone / Istanbul (2022), Looking at the Ruins / Mardin (2022), Tüm Sular Çatlağını Bulana Kadar / Koli Art Space, Istanbul (2022), Between Us / Istanbul (2021)

website: www.atesalpar.com