BERAT IŞIK
Berat Işık was born in 1976 in Diyarbakır, lives and works in Diyarbakır. Berat Işık has generally used video as medium after the 1990’s. Adopting a critical and ironical language on subjects such as immigration, culture, social problems, and social identities, the artist’s videos demonstrate their performative quality and utopic vision.
Işık’s videos are often underpinned with black humour,
questioning the influence of popular culture on the collective memory. He views contemporary society with a critical eye and highlights the sensitive position in which the minority in Turkey finds itself. As though refusing the hegemony of the industry that imposes an aesthetic that is too picture-perfect, Işık does not correct certain technical “flaws” in his videos. These elements intentionally left on the tapes highlight the resistance that the artist manifests against the micro managing of culture, as well as the urgency and necessity with which these works are produced.
The forms created in various mediums in addition to the videos are monitored as manifestations of the layers of social memory which interlace with the individual identity
and personal memory of the artist.
Solo Exhibitions
2021- "Im/Permanent Liberty" With Sibel Horada
Curator: Nazlı Pektaş, Bilsart, İstanbul
2018- "In The Beginning Dazzling Night" With Sarkis
Merdiven Art Space, İstanbul
2016- Are You Still Alive?
Curator: Işın Önol, Depo, İstanbul
2012- Ecology III '' Insight’’
Curator: Ali Akay, Açık Ekran, İstanbul
2024- "Intentions 2" Curator: Arzu Sancar Program Director: Billur
Tansel, Aksanat, İstanbul, Turkey
2023- "Everything Will be Just Like Now-Just a Little Different"
Curator: Derya Yücel, Bregenz, Austria
2023- "Acrobatic Movements" Curator: Dilan Yiğit, Bürosarıgedik
Display, İstanbul, Turkey
2023- "Reveries, Truths" Curator: Melike Bayık, Casa Botter,
İstanbul, Turkey
2022- "Synapse-00" Goethe-Institut, Tosca Art, Ankara, Turkey
2022- "Look Up!" Curator: Yekhan Pınarlıgil, Bursa, Turkey
2022- "The Fragmental Nature of Image"
Curator: Videoist “Senkron 22” Barın Han İstanbul, Turkey
2022- Walking With a Thought "Senkron 22”
Merkezkaçart Diyarbakır, Turkey
2021- "The Landscape in Video"
Curator: Nazlı Pektaş Cocoon by CIF, İstanbul, Turkey
2021- "The Immunity" Curators: Ezgi Bakçay, Barış Seyitvan
Galerie Der Künstler, Munich, Germany
2021- "Affirmative Life /Olumlayan Dünya", Curator: M.Wenda Koyuncu Summart, İstanbul, Turkey
2021- "A YEAR OF 13 MOONS/13 AYLI BİR YILDA", Curator: Yekhan Pınarlıgil, Galerist, İstanbul, Turkey
2020- "Sensitive Intervention" Kıraathane/İstanbul Turkey
Curator: Ahmet Ergenç
2020- "So Near Yet So Far" Munich Germany
Curators: Ezgi Bakçay, Barış Seyitvan, Sophie-Charlotte Bombeck
2020- "Back to Back" Swedish Consulate İstabul Turkey
2019- "Encounters" Diyarbakır, Mardin, İstanbul, İzmir Turkey
2019- "Unter Demselben Himmel" ZKM Karlsruhe Germany
Curator: Barbara Unfug, Barış Seyitvan
2019- “Winter is Coming” Mebusan 25 İstanbul Turkey
2018- "First Round" Galata Greek School, İstanbul, Turkey
2017- "Home 15th İstanbul Biennial Neighbour Event"
Curator: Derya Yücel, Museum Evliyagil, Ankara, Turkey
2017- "Are You Still Alive"
Curator: Işın Önol, Graz, Austria
2017- "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas"
Curators: Özlem Ünsal, Gülben Çapan, 44A Galery, İstanbul
2016- "B-Start/Play is Freedom"
Curator: Derya Yücel, Bomontiada, İstanbul
2016- "Promised Ligh"t
Curator: Tanel Rander, Tartu Art House, Tartu, Estonia
2015- "77□13 Politische Kunst im Widerstand in der Türkei"
Curators: Chiristian Bergman, NGBK, Berlin, Germany
2015- "Documentarist 8. İstanbul Documentary Days"
2015- "14. !f İstanbul İndependent Film Festival"
2014- "This Secret World That Exists Right There in Public"
Curators: Lara Fresko Esra Sarıgedik Öktem, Rampa, İstanbul
2014- "Akbank Contemporary Artists Prize Exhibition"
Curators: Fatoş Üstek, Katia Anguelova, Sara Raza, Aksanat
2014- "Learned Helplessness: On Authority, Obedience And Control" Curator: Işın Önol, Muse, İstanbul
2014- "Inattentional Blindness"
Curator: Işın Önol, Zilberman Galery, İstanbul
2014- GPL Contemporary Curator: Işın Önol, Viyana, Austria
2013- Wiht/In/Significant Other Curator: Işın Önol, Viyana, Austria
2013- Akbank Contemporary Artists Prize Exhibition 2013
Curator: Hasan Bülent Kahraman, Aksanat, İstanbul
2013- Odtü Art 14
Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
2013- Envy-Enmity-Embarrassment
Curator: Emre Baykal, Arter, İstanbul
2012- Tate Modern -The Silent University Screening Program Curator: Synthia Griffin, Tate Modern, Londra, İngiltere
2012- Artists’ Film International
Curator: Çelenk Bafra, İstanbul Modern, İstanbul
2011- Centre Pompidou Video art Collection (1965-2010)
Curator: Christine Van Assche - İzmir, Turkey
2011- Where Fire Has Struck Depo, İstanbul
2010- When Ideas Become Crime/Fikirler Suça Dönüşünce
Curator: Halil Atındere, Depo, İstanbul
2010- état d'âmes. École nationale supérieure des
beaux-arts Paris Curator: Yekhan Pınarlıgil Paris France
2010- VIDÉO ET APRÈS “TURQUIE ET ALORS...
Curator : Yekhan Pınarlıgil, Pompidou Musseum Paris, France
2010- Emploi Saisonnier/Seasonal Work
Curator: Veronique Collard-Bovy, Celenk Bafra, Maerseille, France
2009- No Room for Panic
Curator: Azra Tüzünoğlu, Outlet Galery, İstanbul
2009- 28. International İstanbul Film Festival (Very) Small Distortions In The Order Curator: Yekhan Pınarlıgil
2007- Art Without Borders
Curator: Sonia Balassanian, Erivan, Armenia
2006- Art Without Borders
Curator: Sonia Balassanian, İstabul
2005- Free Kick, Curator: Halil Altındere, İstanbul
2005- Hilcot Shechenim/Chapter C
Curators: Eyal Danon, Galit Eliat, Holon, İsrael
2004- Placebo Effect
Curator: Vasıf Kortun, Berlin, Germany
2004- The 23RD International Contemporary Artist İstanbul Exhibition
Curator: Anton Lederer, Eyal Danon, Başak Şenova, Aksanat
2004- The Force Of Language II: Be Coming Minor
Curator: Ali Akay, Keçi Burcu, Diyarbakır
2003- I am Too Sad to Kill You
Curator: Halil Altındere, Proje 4L, İstanbul
2003- The Force Of Language
Curator: Ali Akay, Diyarbakır, Turkey
2003- Password İstanbul
Curator: Beral Madra, Diyarbakır Art Center, Diyarbakır, Turkey
2001- "Diyarbakır 2001" Diyarbakır Turkey
2001- Art and City Diyarbakır, Turkey
Awards
2014- The 33 RD Akbank International Contemporary Artist Award
2004- The 23 RD International Contemporary Artists
İstanbul Exhibition Achievement Award 2004