Bilsart has added a new dimension to its long tradition of support for modern art projects by turning the garage of its office building in Istanbul into an artistic nonprofit space that offers artists a new venue for displaying their video works and a place for visitors to focus on video art. As of January 2018, Bilsart, which presents current video art samples through a program that changes every 15 days, will also establish a library focused on this field. As part of the "Large Meadow 2018 Exhibitions," starting today, Bilsart will host a program that will screen Heinz Peter Schwerfel's videos on a loop on a weekly basis. In these screenings, which will continue until Sept. 15, spectators will both have an opportunity to watch how George Baselitz interprets new themes and narratives with autobiographic topics and see the work of Alex Katz, often considered a difficult artist, at the workshop in Maine and the apartment in Soho. Another film focused on the permanent installations of engineer and sculptor Anish Kapoor in Chicago and Napoli will also be shown during the event.
HEINZ PETER SCHWERFEL'S ARTIST PORTRAITS
Bilsart will be showing five videos portraying five artists by Heinz Peter Schwerfel. He was born in Cologne in 1954 and studied philosophy and art history. He produced 60 movies including portraits of Jeff Koons, Rebecca Horn and Anish Kapoor. His writings have been published in magazines such as ARTSKunstmagazin and Beaux Arts Magazine and his movies were screened at various institutions including Musee National d'Art Moderne (Paris) and Museum of Modern Art (New York). He is the art director of the film festival Kino der Kunst and lives in Cologne and Paris.
SCREENING PROGRAM
George Baselitz
Every Tuesday, Bilsart will screen two movies focusing on George Baselitz. Baselitz felt ready to speak in front of the camera for the first time in 1987, when he was in his 50s about youth, career, work and anticipation. In these records, he described his paintings as incompetent and deliberately incompatible works; according to him his paintings were still part of the "ugly tradition" of the German painting. In the second movie shot for his retrospective in Bonn-Bundeskunsthalle 17 years later, Heinz Peter Schwerfel faces the artist with his provocative statements in 1987. Speaking in a calmer and softer tone now, Baselitz mentions how he focused on new themes and techniques and how he processes autobiographical works with grace and ease that has not been possible before. These two films will be screened consecutively.
Alex Katz
Every Wednesday, "What about Style?" screenings scrutinize Alex Katz as "A Painter's Painter." Alex Katz has continued to make his own figurative paintings against the fashion trends of modern art for more than 50 years. His plain, elegant and realistic style makes him one of the pioneers of figurative painting yet, he was never widely recognized by a large audience. Heinz Peter Schwerfel records Katz, who is an artist that is hard to define at his workshop in Main and in his Soho office. The images include a 10-meter canvas titled "The Black Brook," his largest painting as well. The movie closes with a virtual exhibition of 20 paintings Katz has made over a period of 40 years.
Bruce Nauman
Every Thursday, "Make Me Think" focusing on Bruce Nauman will be screened. The movie tries to get close to the works and the world of one of the most impressive artists of the past 40 years, takes the audience on a journey in the universe of Bruce Nauman, who never gives up on eternal subjects such as fear, love, loneliness, sex and death in his works. Living a reclusive life in New Mexico, Nauman works in interdisciplinary areas such video-performance, neon-sculpture, photography, plastering and bronze. The movie includes interviews with Joan Simon, Robert Storr and Joseph Kosuth and in addition to focusing on Nauman's early works, it also shows aggressive installations such as "Clown-Torture" and "Anthro/Socio."
Anette Messager
Every Friday, "Plaisirs/deplaisirs: le bestiaire amoureux d'Annette Messager," will be shown. In this portrait work by Schwerfel, the voice of Ulrich Lask accompanies images compiled from Anette Messager's installations. While the camera slowly moves across the artist's workshop, Messager speaks about the plaster works. There is a nice surprise for the audience when the artist's voice meets with the image during the flow.
Anish Kapoor
Every Saturday, a movie titled "The World According to Kapoor" will be screened at Bilsart.
The sculptor Anish Kapoor, who is an intercultural wizard, aesthetic perfectionist and impossible engineer, always produces and develops his works with new artistic and technical challenges. Born in India and living in England since the 70's, Kapoor sculpts the clouds with huge mirrors and sculpts monochrome colors with pigment miniatures. This movie describes Kapoor's world through a journey from artists' workshops in London to permanent installations in Chicago and Naples, and to exhibitions in Bilbao, Mumbai and Delhi.
