Exhibition in Bilsart: 'From the Underneath and From the Deep'

Ateş Alpar's exhibition titled "From the Underneath and From the Deep" will be open for visit at Bilsart in İstanbul from October 18 to October 28, 2023.

"From the Underneath and From the Deep" is where radiance, entertainment, and desire intersect with the artist's personal experiences. It presents a portion of Ateş Alpar's "Queer Nightlife" series, which he has been documenting for nearly a decade.

The exhibition consists of carefully selected photographs and videos from a comprehensive archive. "From the Underneath and From the Deep" points to an ongoing struggle for existence and representation, leaving a mark on history while utilizing contemporary art platforms.

"Queer Nightlife is a part of the relentless struggle of a community that defiantly faces discrimination and domination. It illuminates and colors the night, sometimes functioning as a creative dynamo that enriches it."

"This dynamo occupies a space that goes beyond today's culture conditioned by consumption and entertainment. It is a healing moment that captures the ground for various encounters, horizontal proximities, cross patterns, solidarity relationships, and social struggles."

Ateş Alpar says:

"From the Underneath and From the Deep are the poetic images of whispers passed down from generation to generation by ever-existing communities. As the whispers rise, they reveal a strong refutation of the presence of fiction bodies whose boundaries have been redrawn. The possibility of representation is problematized in the face of accepted norms and denials."

"This photo and video series listens to the murmurs that come from the underneath and fromthe depts. It explores the possibilities of proliferation in a queer nightlife where murmurs turn into voices, routines are disrupted, and hidden and open pleasures are experienced together." (EMK/PE)