By Vercihan Ziflioglu
Istanbul – Turkish Daily News
September 4th, 2004
Bruce Ferguson originally curated a work at Toronto’s Luminato Festival with Atom Egoyan and Kutlug Atoman which was re-staged at this Biennial.
The surprise artist of this year’s biennial is Armenian-Canadian film director Atom Egoyan and renowned installation artist Sarkis.
This year’s 10th International Istanbul Biennial will feature 96 artists, among them 18 from Turkey. Art critic and curator Hou Hanru is the curator of the biennial, which will encompass more than 150 projects in three main venues. The event, which will take place between September 8 and November 4, is sponsored by the Koc Holding and organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV).
Atom Egoyan, known for his feature-length films, has also been making video installations for the past 10 years. Egoyan’s film “Ararat,” which addresses the Armenian suffering during the Ottoman Empire, was not shown in theaters in Turkey as the film’s distribution company in Turkey decided not to distribute it due to public reactions against the film.
The veteran director’s “Auroras,” which premiered in the Luminato Toronto Art and Creativity Festival in June this year, will meet with art aficionados in Antrepo No: 3. Egoyan’s instillation draws on the story of Aurora Mardiganayan, who moved to the United States following the 1915 incidents.
Mardiganyan went to the United States in 1917 to find her only surviving relative, her brother. She decided to write her life story in a book which, following much interest from the press, became the subject of a film. However, Mardiganyan fell ill before the promotional tour of the film.
The producer then hired seven women that resemble Mardiganyan. Egoyan relates the story of Mardiganyan through seven women from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The work features the faces of seven women projected on the seven screens placed in the room.
Another work in the 10th International Istanbul Biennial is the famous Turkish film director Kutlug Ataman’s video installation “Testimonies,” which was exhibited in Toronto. Ataman’s work constitutes images of Kevser Abla, the 105-year-old housekeeper of Kutlug Ataman and his father, working in the kitchen.
When he was nine years old, Ataman learned that Kevser was of Armenian origin. The artist is also projected on screen, thumbing through old photographs and chatting with his nanny.