Kerem Ozan Bayraktar, Sinem Dişli

Depo | Istanbul, Turkey

Sandstorm – And Then There was Dust

SAHA provides support for Kerem Ozan Bayraktar's and Sinem Dişli's new projects for "Sandstorm – And Then There was Dust" at Depo in İstanbul, held on 17 September - 1 November 2020. The exhibition will later travel to Galerie im Körnerpark in Berlin, and to Tehran. 

Curated by Sarah Maske, "Sandstorm – And Then There was Dust" examines the origins and consequences of sandstorms with a mixture of artistic and scientific means and thus aims at reaching, sensitizing, and activating the civilian population living in the affected regions of Mesopotamia and its offshoots (today’s Turkey, Iraq, and Iran). It focuses on the ecological phenomenon of sandstorms and the related socio-political circumstances.

The created ecological and political artworks result from a collaboration with the local inhabitants, activists, scientists and other related actors, in order to create sustainable impacts. The works examine roots and consequences of sandstorms and visualize them in the form of artworks on sites as well as in the exhibition shedding light on its historical, material, and conceptual formations.

Participating Artists: birbuçuk collective, Kerem Ozan Bayraktar, Sinem Dişli, Negar Farajiani, Ayat Najafi, Mahmoud Obaidi, Tehran Platform (Mehran Davari, Niloofar Najafi, Elmira Shirvani)

About Depo

Depo is a space for culture, arts and critical debate in the city center of Istanbul. Depo focuses on practices which deal with historical and contemporary social issues. Its program includes exhibitions, screenings, panel discussions, workshops and presentations and it publishes an online journal titled Red Thread. Depo aims to become a hub where politically and socially engaged projects are realized and to provide artists, curators, cultural operators, academics, researchers and a wide audience with a platform for exchange of ideas and experiences.