On Thursday 15th December, Anna Laudel Contemporary will open its doors for the first time in a new location on Bankalar Street, Karaköy, Istanbul, launching with an inaugural group show ‘ When Did We Stop Playing?’curated by Isabel Bernheimer, founder of Bernheimer Contemporary marks the first exhibition at Anna Laudel Contemporary’s new gallery space.
The multi-artist show features the work of artists including Peter Alasztics, Blue and Joy – Daniele Sigalot, Alexander Deubl, Swaantje Güntzel, Felix Höfner, Sebastian Klug, Jan Kuck, Milana Schoeller, Ludovic Thiriez and Johannes Vetter. Through framing the question ‘When did we stop playing?’, the exhibition aims to explore the great, universal game of life in our shared, contemporary existence.
Isabel Bernheimer said
“Sometimes we make the rules of this game, but most of the time we are being ruled by it. As we deem our lives to be more important and more serious, we begin to a sense of playfulness. Yet a life without joy is not worth living. That is why I felt it was time to ask ourselves, in all seriousness, when did we stop playing?”
The exhibition will be on display between, 16th December 2016 and 12th February 2017 .
The new, five-story gallery space will also host an Artist in Residency programme, an Art Shop and a jewellery concession .
Anna Laudel Contemporary, formerly ART350 gallery, was founded in 2012 by the German textile magnate Anna Laudel with the aim of supporting the work of Turkish and international artists by providing a prominent contemporary exhibition platform and through developing a greater understanding of and closer appreciation for contemporary art within the Turkish region . The gallery’s new identity and re-location to the old finance district of the late Ottoman Empire in Karaköy, within a historic building boasting a vast exhibition space spanning five floors, marks an exciting new chapter for Anna Laudel Contemporary.
Anna Laudel commented:
“We see the gallery as a bridge through which to stay connected with the international art world, to support art production and to show the outcome by displaying great art. I wanted the gallery’s artists to exhibit in a larger space and organize events where people could meet, exchange ideas, and stay in touch with the international art scene. That’s also why we changed our name to Anna Laudel Contemporary because a new space and a new name will create a new identity that presents our aim as a gallery, it is like a sign of a new concept and a bigger project.”
As well as hosting a dynamic exhibitions programme, Ferhat Yeter, Gallery Director, will develop the space into a centre for public art discussions, workshops and interdisciplinary readings. The gallery will also represent Turkish artists at an international level by showcasing their latest projects at leading international art fairs.
Running in tandem with the with the exhibitions programme, the gallery will also launch a new Artist Residency Programme , nurturing the nascent talent of local, regional and international artists.
The spacious new gallery building will also feature an Art Shop , offering democratically priced prints, photographs and art journals, aimed at supporting a new generation of art buyers and emerging collectors.
Visitors will also be able to explore the latest collections of luxury Danish jewellery brand Monies, through the first commercial outlet of this acclaimed design label within Turkey.
