Sarkis to open Turkish pavilion at Venice Biennale

Regarded as one of the most important and up-to date art events of the world, the Venice Biennale - the 56th International Art Exhibition will open its doors on May 9. This year, the Turkish Pavilion of the Venice Biennale will showcase Armenian-Turkish conceptual artist Sarkis Zabunyan's installation titled "Respiro" (Breath). The preview of the Turkish Pavilion, curated by the director of Witte de With Contemporary Art Center, Defne Ayas, and coordinated by the Istanbul Foundation of Culture and Arts (İKSV), will take place on May 7 at 2:30 p.m., while "Respiro" will be displayed between May 9 and Nov. 22 at the Sale d'Armi building in Arsenal - one of the event's main venues.

Sarkis will organize the venue like a theater stage and divide it into two with a huge two-sided mirror. Both sides of the mirror will feature fingerprints in seven different colors made by the artist's seven children: Abay, Anna, Aren, Helin, Karla, Claudia and Linda. Neon rainbows will be placed on two sides of the stage in front of the windows, and 36 pieces of stained-glass, which are composed of common recollection images, will dangle from the ceiling. The installation will feature mirrors, stained-glass boards and the artist's other iconic works as well as be complemented by a composition by Jacopo Baboni-Schilingi who was inspired by the seven colors that Sarkis used in his rainbow drawings.

"Respiro" took its first breath on April 3 and was completed on April 23. Sarkis's six other works that allude to the "Respiro" exhibition will be displayed simultaneously at venues in France, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Turkey. Thus, there will be a continuous dialogue between the artworks at the Turkish Pavilion and other countries' pavilions.
Sarkis's first work "Golden Icon" is located at the exhibition venue of the new building of the Hrant Dink Foundation, which opened in March. "Golden Icon" is a golden square featuring a hand print. The square was produced in the same size as the stained glass produced for the "Respiro" exhibition. Similar to "Respiro," "Golden Icon" will be accompanied by a Jacopo Baboni-Schilingi composition, which will debut simultaneously on May 7 with "Respiro." Along with "Golden Icon," Ali Kazma's new video "Atölye" (Workshop) will be showcased for the first time at the Hrant Dink Foundation in May. The video, belonging to the artist's "Residence" series, focuses on Sarkis' workshop where he has been producing art for the past 50 years.

The exhibition at the Turkish Pavilion will be held in coordination with İKSV and sponsored by Fiat, while the SAHA Foundation is providing production support. The Turkish Pavilion is located at a venue in Arsenale, which was rented for 20 years after the initiative of İKSV and the contributions of 21 other supporters. The long-term venue of the Turkish Pavilion will be used at the art biennale for the first time.