World Bulletin/News Desk
The 2nd Istanbul Triennial art exhibit hosted at 2nd Istanbul Triennial art exhibit, and organized by the Association of Independent Art was vandalized during the Gezi Park protests, resulting in the cancellation of the exhibit.
The 2nd Istanbul Triennial had premiered on Tuesday May 28. After being showcased for four days, the exhibit and gallery sustained major damage during the protests. The scheduled activities which were supposed to last 15 days had to be terminated due to the damage.
34 artists, including 12 from abroad, participated in the exhibition. Founder of the Association of Independent Art, among the organizers of the exhibit, artist Hulya Yazici assessed the attack to the World Bulletin.
Yazici explained that the attack was organized on Sunday night and the gallery was breached by breaking the high security iron door. The works of art and other items in the gallery sustained major damage.
Indicating that the gallery staff had been removed from the gallery through attacks and subdued, Yazici stated that 1.5 years of their labor had been destroyed in the attack. Expressing that she could not understand how a regular environmental protest was provoked to such a degree, Yazici said that they too had supported the first day of the protests and that her son had participated in the protests since she was busy.
While complaining that the Turkish media had not covered the protests, Yazici also condemned other media agencies and writers who refused to see that the events were a provocation and who denied that public property was being vandalized. Expressing that the Art Gallery is also part of the public domain, she stated that the attack by the protestors had harmed the public by causing the cancellation of the triennial exhibit.
Yazici conveyed that nine projection devices nine and a DVD player were damaged beyond use during the attack. Hulya Yazici said that the "Possible Art Perspectives: Seeking Common Ground" panel planned for today had to be cancelled.
The Istanbul Triennial consists of visual, video and installation works. Inspired by Feriduddin Attar’s work titled “Mantiku't Tayr,” the Triennial with the theme of search and discovery was titled "7 Valleys 60 Wing Shadow."
