Launched for the first time this year to promote art writing and critical thinking, the Turgay Sönmez Criticism Award is now accepting submissions focused on Ömer Uluç’s exhibition Beyond the Horizon Line at Istanbul Modern. The application deadline is August 15.
Established to encourage art writing and foster critical discourse, the Turgay Sönmez Criticism Award invites critical texts on Ömer Uluç: Beyond the Horizon Line, currently on view at Istanbul Modern. The author of the winning text will receive a cash prize of 10,000 TL, a set of publications from Sanatatak Publishing, and a private exhibition tour at Istanbul Modern guided by a curator.
Running from March 21 to December 12, the exhibition focuses on the diverse practices of Ömer Uluç, renowned as a painter, sculptor, and poet. The show explores how the artist redefined boundaries of horizon, figure, form, and material, encouraging new critical writing that contributes to the development of contemporary art criticism.
The jury for the Turgay Sönmez Criticism Award consists of Ayşegül Sönmez, Cem Erciyes, Erkan Aktuğ, İhsan Yılmaz, and Seda Yörüker. The award will be granted to the best critical essay written about the exhibition Ömer Uluç: Beyond the Horizon Line at Istanbul Modern.
Participation Guidelines
Participants are expected to write a critical text directly related to the exhibition, between 500 and 1,500 words in length. Texts should be submitted by August 15 to sanatatak@gmail.com.
The winner will receive:
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A cash prize of 10,000 TL
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A set of books from Sanatatak Publishing
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A private guided tour of the exhibition led by Öykü Özsoy Sağnak, chief curator at Istanbul Modern
Additionally, the winning essay will be published on the Sanatatak website.
The Turgay Sönmez Criticism Award is dedicated to Turgay Sönmez, founder of Dadyadost Art House and a well-known lawyer recognized for his contributions to arts and culture. The award aims to support the production of critical writing centered on a different exhibition each year and to encourage the practice of art writing.
