Opening: Measure

SALT Beyoğlu, Walk-in-Cinema

18.30 Opening remarks by Barbara Steiner
19.00 Banu Cennetoğlu in conversation with Emel Kurma


Between October 15-23, as part of the Measure, The List, a document that contains the names of more than 16.264 known refugees and asylum seekers who have died within, or on the borders of Europe since 1993 (the document was last updated on June 13, 2012), will appear in İstanbul on outdoor advertising boards as well as poster boards in the Metro line that carries 230.000 people every day. The List is compiled and updated every year by the Amsterdam-based organization UNITED for Intercultural Action. Banu Cennetoğlu’s intervention as it is proposed here, is not merely meant as a socio-political project, but also a long term process in exploring the borders and the scope of artistic practice. Facilitating the display of such a document is a delicate and hazardous task especially when the artist and her related context are the facilitators. Would it be more legitimate and thus more efficient if such an intervention were executed by an NGO? What happens if a “responsible” act ends up being a mere spectacle? Does what a responsible act differ in various contexts? Cennetoğlu and Emel Kurma of the Helsinki Citizens Assembly will discuss these issues after an introduction by Barbara Steiner who is the artistic director of the Europe’n program in the Walk-in Cinema at SALT Beyoğlu on October 19.

Banu Cennetoğlu works with photography, installation and printed matter. After having a B.A in Psychology, she studied photography in Paris. Between 2002-2003 she was an artist in residence at the Rijksakademie, Amsterdam. In 2006 she initiated BAS, a project space in İstanbul focusing on collection and production of artists’ books and printed matter. Her work has been shown in several institutions such as Collective Gallery, UK (2012); Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre, Cyprus (2012); Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland (2011); Kumu Art Museum, Estonia (2011); Arter, İstanbul (2010); La Centre de la Photographie Geneve, Switzerland (2010); La Coleccion Jumex, Mexico (2008); San Fransisco Art Institute, USA (2007), Walker Art Center, USA (2007) . She participated to the Manifesta 8, 3rd Berlin Biennale, 1st Athens Biennale, 10th Istanbul Biennale. In 2009 Cennetoğlu co-represented Turkey at the Venice Biennale with Ahmet Öğüt.

Emel Kurma studied political science in Boğaciçi University and pursued a graduate degree in METU on urban studies for several years. She played a role in the establishment of International Amnesty Organisation and Civilian Communications Network. She has been teaching NGO practices at the İstanbul Bilgi University for the past 3 years and has worked at the Helsinki Citizens Assembly for the past 10 years.

The opening remarks will be held in English.
The conversation will be held in Turkish.


Europe (to the power of) n is a transnational project of the Excellence Initiative of the Goethe-Institut. It is a collaboration of the Goethe-Institut in Munich and the Regional Goethe-Institutes in Central and East Europe, South-East Europe, North-West and South-West Europe and East Europe/Central Asia, in Belgrade, Brussels, İstanbul, Warsaw, London, Minsk, Vilnius, Oslo, Beijing and Madrid with institutions in and outside the European Union. Europe (to the power of) n is coordinated by Sabine Hentzsch, Goethe-Institut in London. Artistic Director is Barbara Steiner.

The external partners are: Co-Organisers: Curating Contemporary Art Programme / Royal College of Art, London; Muzeum Sztuki, Łódź; Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Høvikodden / Oslo; Associated Partners: Contemporary Art Study Centre / European Humanities University, Vilnius; Novaja Europa Magazine, Minsk; Galerie Y, Minsk; SALT, Istanbul; Muzej savremene umetnosti Vojvodine, Novi Sad; Sint-Lukasgalerie, Brussels; Taipei Contemporary Art Centre, Taipei; Vitamin Creative Space, Beijing / Guangzhou; San Telmo Museoa, Office for European Capital of Culture 2016, both Donostia-San Sebastián

Curated by Esra Sarigedik Öktem
Coordinated by Lara Fresko

In collaboration with SALT



With the support of the Culture Programme of the European Union