Commagene Lar, Land and Art Biennial opened in Adıyaman’s Kahta district on Sept. 23. Curated by Nihat Özdal, the biennial showcases artworks of 13 artists, Shirin Abedinarad, Vahap Avşar, Murat Cem Baytok, Anna Laura Cantera, Yalda Jamali, Odmaa Uranchimeg, Cengiz Tekin, Mariko Hori, Zaid Saad, Meltem Şahin, Met Kocadayı, Kim İncheol.
The biennial is centred around three islands situated across from the historical Nevali Çori’s flooded areas. These islands are free from settlements and agricultural activity and are currently used exclusively for art-related activities. Other notable places in the region include the Karakuş Tumulus, Cendere Bridge, and Nemrut Peak, which are significant in the region’s archaeology and history.
Land Art is not a well-known genre in Turkey. How did you become interested in it and what was your process like?
My fascination with maps began during my primary school years when I would draw them with my eyes closed. I have a special connection with the steppe colors depicting Anatolia’s majestic heights. “Make a picture about nature” was a common theme in art classes, but while most people would draw trees, I always drew short grasses. These grasses bloom in the spring, then turn yellow for a long time. The steppe is home to many creatures such as hyenas, desert hares, sand partridges, and bald ibises. The dry grasses provide a wide horizon that gives me a sense of freedom for both my thoughts and my gaze. In contrast, forests shrink both the horizon and the mind. This relationship is evident in everything from dinner conversations to folk dances. Regions with dry grasses have long halay rings (Anatolian folk dance), and the swashbucklers open their arms and step towards the west. On the other hand, forests are confined to folk dances played in narrow spaces.. I had the idea to use this area of freedom to create artistic productions. Last year, we organized the Commagene Biennial, and the feedback from the artists who worked on land art was very productive. We decided to divide the biennial into two and continue working in this field for another year.
The Biennial will take place in Adıyaman, focusing on Land Art and River Art themes. It’s worth noting that the inclusion of the river in this event is groundbreaking. I’m curious, will there be a specific theme related to the river that will contribute to the literature of this biennial?
The issue of climate change has prompted us to put more focus on water and the concept of water. Perhaps we should have paid attention to this issue much earlier. Our geography is filled with rivers that are obstructed by dams. In recent years, more artists have become concerned about this crisis. If you are lucky enough to fly over Anatolia and observe the land above, the breathtaking river formations are truly magnificent. As an artist, I study rivers and work with them. I collaborate with the Euphrates, the river where I was born, and other rivers I come across in my travels. I believe that rivers should have rights too. The New Zealand Parliament’s decision to grant the Whanganui River the status of a living entity was an important milestone. Why can’t the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers, which have historical significance, be granted the same rights? River art is a form of collaboration with rivers, and we have been brainstorming about what we can create together with them for this biennial.
In light of the current climate crisis, pandemic, Ukraine-Russia war, increasing fascist tendencies, the disorder of income and justice distribution, and the threat of artificial intelligence, do you believe that Land Art, which mainly consists of natural materials, is becoming more important?
We are discussing the idea of reconnecting with nature, returning to moors, and the earth itself. These catastrophes prompted us to question what truly matters.
This year the theme was announced as The Value of a Metaphor. Can you tell us a little more about this theme?
I have been keeping a close eye on FutureEverything, a UK-based organization that has been conducting long-term sessions on money and the environment. This is a topic that we will be discussing in detail during the opening panel of the biennial this year. İsmail Ertürk’s article from Manchester University on this subject has been a helpful guide for us.
What was the impact of the inaugural Commagene Biennial held last year?
We met last year and with the idea of creating an Imaginary Civilization. Commagene’s ancient lands, where numerous civilizations have risen and fallen over time, and where multiculturalism still flourishes, sparked a discussion about what it means to be civilized. A considerable portion of these works has survived, and through the biennials’ accumulation, our goal is to establish a Museum Island, which will be a world-first.
Can you provide information about the main venues of the biennial in a geography that is not valued enough?
The biennial is centered around three islands situated across from the historical Nevali Çori’s flooded areas. These islands are free from any settlements and agricultural activity, and are currently used exclusively for art-related activities. Other notable places in the region include the Karakuş Tumulus, Cendere Bridge, and Nemrut Peak, all of which hold great significance in the region’s archaeology and history.
There are talks and side events to be held throughout the biennial, right?
The Sustainability, Economy, and Environment Panel will be held at the opening of the biennial event. İsmail Ertürk will moderate the panel and will feature Betül Bildik, Fatma Çolakoğlu, Burak Delier, Sabahnur Erdemli, Bahadır Kaleağası, and Argun Okumuşoğlu as speakers. Irini Papadimitrio will give a speech titled “Money and Environment,” Sophy King will speak on “Anthropocene Age and Our Relationship with Nature,” and Becky Lyon will discuss the “Relations between Art and Ecology.”
What awaits us at the biennial?
We are excited to host a biennial featuring a group of talented artists who have produced their works using local craftsmanship such as blacksmithing, carpentry, bricklaying, and glasswork. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our dear friends in the region who have supported us, as well as to the artists who have contributed to the event: Shirin Abedinirad, Odmaa Uranchimeg, Zaid Saad, Mariko Hori, Lotta Petronella, Ana Laura Contera, Yalda Jamali, Kim İncheol, Elica Masuya, Sinem Dışli, Meltem Şahin, and Cengiz Tekin. We would also like to thank Murat Cem Baytok, Jon Foreman, and Vahap Avşar for their support.
LAR COMMAGENE
Turkey’s first Land and River Art Biennial, Commagene LAR, is scheduled to take place in Adıyaman. The event, themed “The Value of a Metaphor,” will showcase the works of Turkey’s top artists and international participants. The biennial will be held at various venues, including the Nemrut Peak, Karakuş Tumulus, Cendere Bridge, and the islands on the Euphrates River in Adıyaman. The exhibition will be open to the public from September 23 to December 23, 2023.
Artworks from the biennial
Odmaa Uranchimeg- The Movement is Equilibrium
The work of Uranchimeg focuses on the simplest metaphor: Just as when you look into the water and see your reflection. This means that your current attitude toward your environment is your future destiny. Everything is created by movement. There are unseen movements, changes, and shifts happening all around us. Environment, society, and tradition all things move and change. In modern times, everything moves so fast. Industrialization brought us global warming and we are trying to find ways to counter the warming and survive with it.
Yalda Jamali- A Souvenir of Life
Jamali’s colored tree trunks are in the color of chakra systems, green for heart chakra, blue for throat, and red for root chakra. The artwork reminds us of how we live and exist in life.
The work is based on a poem by Abbas Kiarostami, poet and filmmaker of Iran.
“At the beginning of the spring
I went out of the house.
In the middle of summer,
I slept under the tree,
and in the autumn,
my head went to the wind”
Cengiz Tekin, The Road
The Road deals with the complexity of man-made asphalt roads, one of the hallmarks of the modern world. While these roads enable people to travel quickly and easily, they also interrupt the traditional paths followed by nature. At this intersection point, man’s relationship with nature is questioned. While asphalt roads represent civilization and progress, the roads followed by water in nature symbolize natural balance and continuity. Tekin carries the typical patterns of bureaucracy, causing people to ignore the beauty of nature with standards, procedures, and rules stuck in human lives. The pattern of the road (the carpet that Tekin created as the road) becomes the symbol of the chaotic world.
Shirin Abedinirad- Reflective Journey
The land art installation consists of two primary elements: a trio of doors from the aftermath of the February 2023 earthquake and three mirror panels. These components combine to create an immersive experience that challenges and transforms the viewer’s perspective. Those standing on the right side encounter a linear arrangement of three closed doors, evoking a sense of barriers and limitations. Conversely, individuals approaching from the left are met with a distinct viewpoint- a harmonious alignment of three mirror panels that seamlessly reflect the beauty of nature. The installation encourages viewers to reflect on their interpretations of reality and their dynamic role in shaping perspectives. It also serves as a metaphor for the resilience and adaptability of those who experienced the earthquake in Adıyaman.
Ana Laura Cantera- When Forces Meet
According to the artist, we are going through a period of constant asymmetrical assemblages between human and non-human entities due to anthropocentric economic activities. Humanity is transforming bodies of water, soils, and air compositions. This artwork is a performative installation that evolves, which implies three symbolic gestures of current territory transformations. The aim is to stimulate asymmetric entanglements between non-human entities from the area of Adıyaman through technical devices and symbols of human activities.
Zaid Saad- Concrete o
Saad’s work is about refugees and the hardships they face in the world. According to the World Migration Report 2022, published on the IOM, the number of migrants globally has reached 281,000,000 humans. Saad wonders about the help offered to the refugees and questions this with a concrete life buoy.
Murat Cem Baytok – Ungleichhewicht (Imbalanced)
According to Baytok, we are way too relaxed towards climate change. The relaxed sitting pose of the Stick Man (his trademark) resembles humanity’s general situation on the climate crisis. On one side, there is gold, which symbolizes the profit humans make from damaging nature and on the other, found objects near the river. This tells the story of endless consumption and problems of the environment we are facing right now. The artist suggests we must get out of our comfort zone and not only face but solve the environmental damages caused by human activities.
Vahap Avşar – Shelter
The work of Avşar aims to create a shaded area where people and animals can take a break by producing the bird’s eye silhouette of an F-16 aircraft from an iron profile and installing it on a hill that can be seen from Nemrut with iron legs to form a 3-meter high roof. This area will be used by Biennial visitors to rest, as well as by other living creatures after the biennial. This project emerged due to Avşar’s experiences and memories during the five days he spent in this geography in August 1986, when he got lost while searching for Mount Nemrut.
Kim İncheol – Stinging Coexistence
The work Stinging Coexistence is made of bamboo and ropes that are connected to a stone. The work tells about the force of attraction, objects of different shapes do not have a subjugated relationship but transition to a new world encounter while each one is wary of and accepting each other. The artwork is a metaphor that metaphorizes the journey. The work encourages viewers to experience crossing the boundaries between each other.
Mariko Hori – Reflections on the Flow
The installation of Hori takes the form of a small island floating on the reservoir formed by the Atatürk Dam on the Euprates River. On its surface, there is a layer of natural clay symbolizing the inherent connection between land and water. As the clay dries out on the water’s surface during the biennial, it serves as a symbolic reflection of the changing nature of the world influenced by human activities, where these abundant water bodies can be related to scarcity elsewhere.
Meltem Şahin, Mert Kocadayı – Potnia Theron
The work aims to challenge a historical reduction by presenting different archetypes of Artemis beyond her fertility symbolism. Goddesses should not be reduced to symbols of fertility and abundance; there is much more to this history, suggests Meltem Şahin. On the other hand, the music coming from the environs of the sculpture is nymphs singing in chorus. It is a hymn written for Artemis in the Classical Period. Mert Kocadayı created the sound using artificial intelligence.
