Two artists of the collective G.R.A.M. in Istanbul
Art group G.R.A.M. formed in 1987 by four Austrian artists Günther Holler – Schuster, Ronald Walter, Armin Ranner and Martin Behr. Holler-Schuster and Martin Behr are currently artists in residency in Istanbul (send by the “Auslandsatelierprogramm des Österreichischen Kanzleramts”).G.R.A.M. as an artist group are known for reenactments. They are quoting famous Images, scenes by reenacting them. The Photograph shows them reenacting a fight in the Taiwanese Parliament.
The group operates in a wide range of media (photography, video, film, performance, painting), their method of work unites these media. They simulate „paparazzi” practices, reporters or slapstick film protagonists. They are interested in what is offered by mass media, popular culture, and artistic performances which provoked resistance and indignation in Austrian society (Vienna Actionism). The authors take possession of the images through reconstructing them as if experiencing again specific historical facts or situations (performative photography). Notoriously known images are retold, rewritten, and as many critics mentioned, these newly constructed scenes are more comprehensive than the original itself. They replace popular figures from the world of politics, sports and showbusienss. All the more, in their own way, they make the nature and meaning of the original event problematic.
G.R.A.M. in Istanbul from InEnArt on Vimeo.
A visit to the Studio of artist Süleyman Saim Tekcan hosting İbrahim Enez, a famous Painter of Film-Posters in Turkey. Since more then 60 years he is illustrating Images to invite people to watch a film. Beside his painting abilities İbrahim Enez is familiar with Turkish film history. Yilmaz Güney for Example would call him to the set to tell him the story of the film while it was produced. So the Poster would be created during the production time. When he’s talking about the Poster of “Güneş’e doğru” (Towards the sun), he get’s moved. It was one of his first works. The film was written and directed by famous Turkish Poet Nazim Hikmet, Abidin Dino, a famous Turkish Painter made the decoration while his brother Arif Dino was in the cast. A range of famous names and a movie almost forgotten. It is telling the story of a young paralized men, who is recovering by an operation and is finding himself in the new founded Turkish Republic after 17 Years of being sentenced to stay in bed. Süleyman Saim Tekcan is an artist and retired Professor of Art from the Mimar Sinan Art academy. He caused Enez to show his works in Galleries. They are painted in Oil on Canvas. İbrahim Enez is creating a unique esthetic with bright and warm colorings. Momentarily he is copying a famous Botero-Painting in the Studio of Süleyman Saim Tekcan.
In Istanbul Günther Holler-Schuster and Martin Behr got fascinated about the Turkish tradition of adapting famous filmthemes. There is “Dracula in Istanbul”, “Spaceshuttle in Istanbul” and “The man who saved the world” as a Turkish Version: “Dünyayı kurtaran adam”. İbrahim Enez is going to paint a film-poster that will show Günther Holler-Schuster and Martin Behr as main actors of that film. Beside he will paint the Castle of Dracula. Behr and Holler-Schuster are going to smoke on the buttom of the painting to create Smoke as it is reported to have been the way how the movies smoke was produced in reality. The performance will be shot on Video and is exhibited at the Christine-König Gallery in Vienna in summer 2016.