In the summer of 2023, Foam will present in its exhibition space Foam 3h, the work of the Turkish artist Ece Gökalp, titled After Anahit.
In 2022 Gökalp began a project that revolves around two major events that took place in the Turkish province of Gümüşhane, in the Northeast of Turkey: The first is the acquisition of a 19th-century bronze bust by the British Museum. Armenians believe the bust represents the Armenian goddess Anahit, while others see it as a symbol of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. The second incident involves a mythical glacier lake that was drained by two treasure hunters seeking antique gold, causing ecological destruction in the local area. Through in-depth research, photography, and archival material, Gökalp sheds light on conflicts related to cultural heritage, ecological devastation, and the complexities of a changing geography due to historical events. The various storylines link contemporary events to Turkey's rich past.
Image from the series After Anahit, 2023
© Ece Gökalp.
Image from the series After Anahit, 2023
© Ece Gökalp.
Image from the series After Anahit, 2023
© Ece Gökalp.
Image from the series After Anahit, 2023
© Ece Gökalp.
About the artist
Ece Gökalp (1988, Turkey) was born in Istanbul, Turkey. In her hometown, the visual artist received her bachelor's degree in Photography and Video from the Yildiz Technical University. In addition, Gökalp studied with an Erasmus scholarship for a semester at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague before moving to Berlin to study Art in Context at the Universität der Künste in Berlin. Gökalp's work has so far been shown in several group exhibitions in Istanbul and Berlin. Gökalp also showed a solo exhibition at the Apartment Project Berlin in 2017, followed by a second solo exhibition of her graduation project at Poşe in Istanbul.
Working with different media forms, Gökalp focuses on the diverse possibilities of photography. In doing so, the artist specifically employs photography as a means of perceiving geographies in different contexts. Gökalp thereby explores the controversy surrounding photography, the photographic gaze and the indexicality of photography.
Kismet
The exhibition of Ece Gökalp is part of Kısmet, an initiative created and developed in close collaboration between Studio Polat and Foam. The multi-year project is inspired by longstanding cultural, diplomatic and economic ties between Turkey and the Netherlands. Kısmet delves into the diverse and intricate facets of Turkish visual culture, as seen through the lens of different generations of image makers.
About Foam 3h
Foam 3h is a project space in the museum where recently graduated artists and photographers are invited to present their first solo museum exhibition. For this space, Foam selects national and international artists whose portfolios the world should see. The artists are challenged to experiment, surprise and push the limits of photography.
Foam 3h: After Anahit, by artist Ece Gökalp can be seen from 23 June – 17 September 2023 at Foam.
Open daily 10am - 6pm, Thurs/Fri 10am - 9pm.
Foam
Keizersgracht 609
1017 DS Amsterdam
The Netherlands
+ 31 (0)20 5516500
www.foam.org
Note to editors
After Anahit is made possible with the support of the Van Bijleveltstichting, the Leeuwensteinstichting, Mondriaan Fonds and Kleurgamma Fine-Art Photolab.
This exhibition is part of Kısmet, a close collaboration between Studio Polat and Foam. Kısmet has been made possible by the generous support of the Mondriaan Fund.
