BASAK SENOVA – Lecture “On Memory and Spatial Inquiries”

Lecture will be held by: BASAK SENOVA
within the frames of a cycle "Is art necessary and why?"
8 January 2013 at 18.00
Arsenal Gallery in Białystok, ul. Mickiewicza 2

This lecture will evolve around the notion of “memory” along with the perpetual and spatial considerations in the context of contemporary art. In this respect, by taking the perpetual components of space as its point of departure, the lecture will give a special focus on the act of producing art projects, which render memory re/construction and lapses in specific places with loaded memory and control.

Therefore, by navigating through some of the projects such as Unrecorded” (Akbank Sanat, Istanbul, 2008), “Lapses” (project developed for the Pavilion of Turkey at the 53rd Venice Biennale, 2009), “UNCOVERED. International Nicosia Airport” project (2010-2013, Cyprus) and the forthcoming project "2nd edition of Project Biennial D-0 ARK Underground, Bosnia and Herzegovina" (2013) that takes place the Atomic shelter in Konjic, 45km south of Sarajevo, known as Tito’s Atomic Shelter.

All of these projects looks at the notion of space as a decisive factor in our perception of the realities that surround us. In the light of the presented projects, this lecture will broadly undertake the relationships between various concepts including memory and archiving; perception and interaction; control and design within the territory and limitations of contemporary art practices.

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Basak Senova is a curator and designer. She studied Literature and Graphic Design (MFA in Graphic Design and Ph.D. in Art, Design and Architecture at Bilkent University) and attended the 7th Curatorial Training Programme of Stichting De Appel, Amsterdam. She has been writing on art, technology and media, initiating and developing projects and curating exhibitions since 1995. Senova is the editor of art-ist 6, Kontrol Online Magazine, Lapses Book Series, UNCOVERED, Aftermath, The Move, and Obje'ct. Yane Calovski among other publications.

She is an editorial correspondent for ibraaz.org and one of the founding members of NOMAD, as well as the organizer of “ctrl_alt_del” and “Upgrade!Istanbul”. Senova was the curator of the Pavilion of Turkey at the 53rd Venice Biennale (2009) and lectured as assistant professor at the Faculty of Communication, Kadir Has University, Istanbul (2006-2010).

Some of her exhibitions and projects include “Conscious in Coma” (Goethe-Institut, Istanbul, 2006), “Rejection Episodes” (Vooruit Kunstencentrum, Gent, Belgium, 2006), “Unrecorded” (Akbank Sanat, Istanbul, 2008), “Soft Borders” (São Paulo, Brazil, 2010), “Aftermath” (Akbank Sanat, Istanbul, 2012), “UNCOVERED. International Nicosia Airport” project (2010-2013, Cyprus, co-curates with Pavlina Paraskevaidou) and "The Move. Adel Abidin. Rosa Barba. Runa Islam" (Arter, Istanbul, 2012). Currently, she curates "The Translation" (Cabaret Voltaire Zurich, 2013) and "Symphony. Adel Abidin" (Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai) exhibitions and co-curates with Branko Franceschi "2nd edition of Project Biennial D-0 ARK Underground, Bosnia and Herzegovina" (2013).

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