ArtDog Istanbul 27. Sayı

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

What is a Human?

This month, we featured a scene from the work titled İnsan, choreographed by British choreographer and dancer James Sutherland and featured in the Ankara Modern Dance Company (Ankara MDT) program under the State Opera and Ballet, on the cover.

Questioning a very valid issue by asking “what is a human, especially in the age of artificial intelligence that we are in?” in a world tested by climate crisis, successive wars, winds of fascism blowing in the world and finally artificial intelligence, Sutherland said, “Depending on time and place, when spiritual and physical capacity come together, an incredible power emerges that pushes us forward. For example, an extraordinary power can emerge from a mother whose child is run over by a bus to save her child. Questions such as ‘How can she do this?’, ‘Where does this power come from?’ lead the person to the answer ‘This is what makes us human.’ This potential can take us to a completely different level with many possibilities. Artificial intelligence is not at this level and will never be. This fascinated me and I started thinking about how I could show this in dance. This is how I came up with the idea of ​​‘Human’ and I thought it would be a great dance performance. I hope this is what you see on stage…” We recommend you read the special interview.

Founded in Ankara in 1992 under the auspices of the State Opera and Ballet General Directorate, and with Beyhan Murphy as the artistic director, choreographer and instructor, MDT has produced over 80 works with Turkish and foreign choreographers since the day it opened. With Bürge Kayacan as the artistic director, MDT continues its performances and domestic and international tours with periodic performances at the Ankara Opera House and new works added to its repertoire each year.

Dr. Fırat Arapoğlu's article titled "On Ahmet Güneştekin's Lost Alphabet Exhibition" questions whether Güneştekin's art truly opens up a new critical field while bringing the past to the present, or whether it merely functions as a tool of cultural capital that turns art into an object of luxury consumption.

In her article titled “Diversity in Art, Trump and the White Man Among Us”, Sine Ergün examines how Trump’s decrees and statements issued during his short time in office in the US threaten the field of culture and arts in terms of diversity, equality and inclusivity. Similar policies are observed in different forms in many countries where conservatism is on the rise. In these days when minority rights, which form the basis of diversity in art, are in danger, she questions whether the “white man” among us is also siding with Trump.

As we approach spring, we are bringing very important exhibitions to our pages. The exhibition A Route at the Borders of the Mind, curated by Ebru Nalan Sülün at the Erimtan Archaeology and Art Museum with the support of Bor Sanat, focusing on Fikret Muallâ’s creative periods, and the articles on the Ömer Uluç retrospective at Istanbul Modern, written with exquisite prose by Evrim Altuğ, are eye-opening.

The dossier titled “Artificial Intelligence in Art: Future or Threat?” prepared by Sine Ergün examines the subject in depth with experts in the field.

In this issue, we have brought together topics that we think will inspire and broaden your horizons. May it be an inspiring spring with the transformative power of art.

Şebnem Kırmacı – ArtDog Istanbul Editor-in-Chief

Cover: A still from Choreographer James Sutherland's work called İnsan, created for the Ankara Modern Dance Company. Photo: Tarkan Serengül

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On behalf of ArtDog Istanbul Art Investments Inc.

Boğachan Buğra Kaya & Şebnem Kırmacı

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Sebnem Kirmaci

PUBLICATION CONSULTANT

Tahir Ozyurtseven

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Sibel Oral

EDITORS

Semra Dursun, Seyma Elaman Ustun, Sine Ergun, Idil Sancar, Hatice Utkan Ozden

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