"From Nothing to Everything; Art From Diogene to Foucault"

Sinop is as at north as to remain away from eyes, however it is as a magnificent city as not to escape from eyes. Last year this city where I went because of a private reason held me under its effect long time although I had stayed there for a short while like three days. I don’t know whether it is because my visit was timely to April month when spring season makes feel itself with all of its existence or the same beauty shows itself every season, however I couldn’t help talking about this small city for months when I came back to Istanbul.

The reason of today’s privileged structure of Sinop which has at its every era since archaic age till Seljuk, Candaroğlu and Osmanlı administrations an important port and a lively cultural structure is maybe also this past of it. The city extending till inside of the sea is famous today with its jail transformed from Old Ottomon Shipyard.

Sinop the north edge of Turkey was a short while ago at the agenda of the media with nuclear central works. Whereas nowadays differently Sinop name is mentioned through a big art activity not realized ever before. This activity named “Sinopale” prepared by T. Melih Görgün is realized with common efforts of Informal Görgün Network, European Culture Association, several important artists and curotors and by collaboration of governorship, municipality and some private institutions. The activity covering exhibitions at open and closed areas, installations, interactive activities and performances has the aim of emphasizing that Sinop is a natural “jail city” due to its geographic position, it became a “jail city” too with the dominant attitude of political authority besides. The fact that especially thought culpables were sent to Sinop Jail which had quite bad conditions because escaping chance was the least is still a reality which disturbs consciences despite that it is closed few years ago. “Sinopale” is thought as an art activity where the cityfolk too will participate to production process. This is the aspect which separates the activity which has the claim of being a biennial, from other biennials; the making of atelier works of artists, related to topics that they selected with various groups from folk. Thus to direct the ones who live in Sinop to think in the context of art is among the things that are aimed. That’s why it will be given place to results of atelier works too at Sinopale exhibitions. Whereas atelier works, the direction of the work by a housewife, a child or a prisoner from Sinop folk with every artist is given consideration. “Sinopale” where several Turkish and foreigner artists take place will be realized at Sinop Jail, Archeology Museum, Pervane Madrasah and Balatlar Church, and more different sites. “Sinopale” is an activity which supports also attemps directed to form agenda anew at performance, film, video, installation, voice design and other new media applications. The conceptual framework of the first activity which is intented to be permanent is determined as “şey/thing”. This word that we repeat many times in daily language, marks in fact the infinite distance between everything and nothing. The activity which will hold a projection to the situation of being “thing” in contemporary art includes also propositions which will compare individual with the situation of being “art”. Artworks discussing especially the standing of “thing”s against reformation and destruction at Old Sinop Jail, gaps and their purities are worthy to be seen. In addition other sites dispersed inside the city too are turning around this discussion.

There will be various speeches also with the framework of activities which open to discussion again the interest of Sinop city with art in historical process. At this project directed by Beral Madra various art speeches in the context of “jail” prepared departing from Diogene and Foucault discourses, take place.

The project of performance arts in direction of Emre Koyuncuoğlu and Nezaket Ekici aims to explicate the approaches to performance art in the context of stage arts and plastic arts, and forms of expression, and takes at hand topics like perception forms of movemonet, evaluation of daily life as performance.

Whereas video and voice pool project, it includes formation of a digital library where vairous artworks of the participant artists take place with the aim of increasing the consciousness of spectators and of creating an influence area in the context of “continuity”. The publications in the library will be presented through vision and voiace mediums too at units like shops etc. Settled at pedestrian area in the city. Whereas the directors of this project, they are Çiğdem Borucu and T. Melih Görgün.

Whereas how a “Sinop” project shaped by Sinopale through the process will affect local policy, the topic of future “culture city” etc., they will be taken at hand by different networks and groups which will be invited.

This year participant artists of Sinopale are Yael Davids, Canan Beykal, Roza El-Hassan, Handan Börüteçene, Walter Bergmoser, İpek Duben, Ferhat Özgür, Emre Koyuncuoğlu, Mürteza Fidan, Lerzan Özer, Çiğdem Borucu, Suna Suner, Techne, Monochrom, Orgacom, Ziya Azazi, Gue Schmidt, Eric van Hove, Juliane Stiegele, Mohaç Yücel, Jürgen Hefele, Nezaket Ekici, Nobuho Nagasawa, Andre van Bergen, Monali Meher, Antonio Riello, Marc Rees, Nadia Tsulukidze, Sophia Tabatadze.

In the extent of Sinopale which will be realized between dates August 15’th – September 3’rd 2006 there are also various side activities named “Trace Balad”. Let us remind that some atelier works will be applied between dates August 1-15, performances and speeches will be realized too between dates August 16’th – September 3’rd.

“Sinopale” project implements for bringing to agenda nuclear danger an exhibition in this context. The project named “Next Future” is realized by curator M. Sinan Niyazioğlu and Umut Südüak, Ulaş Eryavuz, Buket Uygur, Selen Başer, designers from Iran and Germany.

Let us invite you to the activity to live Sinop city abundantly with art; we will be there.