Mutlu Çerkez ‘Untitled: 5 April 2006’ 
 

In his first individual exhibition in İstanbul Mutlu Çerkez’s works will be on show at Sabancı University Kasa Gallery until 6th May.
 

‘Instead of hours, minutes and seconds he was using albums, songs and rhythms. The interval between two successive things was equal to the duration of a particular song played again and again. Basically it was nice to know that, unlike time, music could be wound back and forward, could be stopped and played over...Cyclical movement of songs eased the burden of irrevocablity of linear time.’ Elif Şafak, Araf, p.80

Melbourne based Australian-Turkish-Cypriot artist Mutlu Çerkez died in December 2005. He has presented solo exhibitions in Melbourne, Sydney and Helsinki and also been included in a wide range of group and curatorial projects in Australia and internationally. In 1999 he participated in the 6th İstanbul Biennial. Kasa Gallery presents Çerkez’s first solo exhibition in İstanbul as planned almost a year ago, at the scheduled date with the works he suggested to show.

Mutlu Çerkez’s production is often characterized as conceptual art. Ongoing ‘...for an unwritten opera’ works which were first exhibited in 1992, the large collection of cover and poster designs he produced for bootleg recordings of Led Zeppelin’s live performances and giving dates in future as titles to his works, marking a time when he commits to remake it suggest a parallel approach with serial compositions of Conceptual Art where diagrams, indexes and documents become the work With precise and skilful self portraits, depicting the artist as portraying himself, Çerkez also continues to address the traditional in his overall practice.

Last series of works he completed - works on paper with images of works by Picasso made on corresponding days to particular performances by Led Zeppelin – a selection of self-portraits, a video and other new works will be on show at  Kasa Gallery.

The exhibition is supported by ARTS VICTORIA (Melbourne - Australia).

Mutlu Çerkez 1964 London. Has held individual exhibitions at Anna Schwartz Gallery-Melbourne since 1988, presented solo projects at Kiasma, Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki. Some of the collaborations and curatorial projects he has participated:
2005- ‘End’ Kings Artist Run Initiative,Melbourne, ‘New05’ ACCA, Melbourne, ‘Mutlu Çerkez Marco Fusinato’ Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney.
2004- ‘Public/Private 2nd Auckland Triennial,
2003- ‘Extended Play: art remixing music’, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth. 2002- ‘Fieldwork: Australian Art 1968-2002’, Natioanal Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. 2001- ‘Art>Music’, MoCA Sydney.
1999- ‘Passion and Wave’ 6th Istanbul Biennial.
1998- Sao Paolo Biennale, Sao Paolo Brazil.

His works are in various public and private collections.

Mutlu Çerkez’s detailed biography and bibliography are available at Kasa Gallery.

Opening: 5 April 2006, Wednesday 18:30
Address: Sabancı Üniversitesi  Kasa Galeri, 
Bankalar Caddesi No: 2 Karaköy    0212 2924939 /1508
kasagaleri@sabanciuniv.edu