Piramid Sanat

PİRAMİD

While passing through life, starting from our early childhood years, each and every one of us enhances our own fields of interest and identities.

Some of us might be inspired by the skyscrapers in NY, or Mawlana, some by Greek philosophy or art, some by projections of the rules of chemistry and physics into our own areas, some by Zen Buddhism and some by post-modernism. And every artist picking his/her own bricks out of this endless ocean builds his/her creative life pyramid.

The reason why we spelled “Piramid” in this letter sequence is that it reflects the way that fits all languages phonetically. This Piramid refers to the fact that the multi-colored and multi-cultural side of our world, which has become smaller today through the tools of communication and transportation, meets every human being in an original and singular character.

Inside every human, there must be a pyramid that has been built freely. Piramid is a meeting point of a laboratory of thoughts as well as active ideas that are universal, respectful to the past and also very confident towards the future of humanity.

Placing itself at a same distance to the West and to the East and to the North and to the South, while having no fear or complex against nobody or no “institutional passport”, it is an original and authentic production, presentation and sharing arena for art and socio-political discussions.

At Piramid, we greet life with enthusiasm, dedication and smiling faces…

PİRAMİD SANAT

Piramid Sanat is an independent art center founded in 2006 by Bedri Baykam who is also the President of Turkish Artist Association (UPSD) since the same year.

Piramid Sanat is a six storey complex that also comprises the “Extra Place” gallery which holds works by various contemporary Turkish artists and a coffee-shop / bookstore at the ground floor. At the first floor, Piramid has a large exhibition space that hosts 7 different art shows in a year. Except these two locations open to the public, 2 floors are reserved to Baykam’s works. The second floor is a showcase (by appointment only) and the third one is Baykam’s studio.

The artists can vary from established major artists working internationally, to graduate students or even sparkling young stars in high school! Piramid Sanat shows multi-disciplinary and multi-media art; it does not stand distant from canvas painting but it also shows videos, installations, sculptures or objects. The art is versatile and the content of the exhibitions can be political, erotic or purely art historical/conceptual; Actually Piramid Sanat has been preparing very important shows like

“The Generation of 1968, 40th Year”, “The revolutionary Years of Turkish Contemporary Art: The 80s”, “Internal Bleeding” (about the Ergenekon court case),
“Come if you dare!” (a group show about the first anniversary of Gezi Protests).

Those types of shows could have never been done in the galleries, which are held by big corporations, or banking companies since those spaces remain very distant from politics or sexuality and want to stay away from government pressure.

On the other hand, Piramid Sanat also shows purely non-political artistic exhibitions, which emphasize on bold daring humoristic, fresh multi-media works to express new ways of thinking or seeing.

İn other words, the three gallery spaces of Piramid Sanat, hold commercial “sellable “ shows with artworks intended for serious art collectors as well as shows by young promising artists or not-for-sale works from curated art shows of exhibitions starting with the sixties. Selling is not a determining factor or priority for Piramid Sanat, showing strong or art, is.

Piramid Sanat also likes to have a very flexible program. It stays totally away from the attitude often seen in museums or galleries that likes to emphasize “we are booked for 2-3 years”. Piramid likes to stay open for fresh proposals, opportunities and new artists, curators or visitors.

Also several panel discussions on political, artistic or historical subjects are held in Piramid, with an attendance that can vary between 40-120 persons. Those are around very important subjects with the participation of Turkey’s most important artists, critics, journalists and professors.

Piramid is a meeting point for artists who celebrate together New Year or summer. The coffee shop at the entrance is an active and live place to get together, with all kinds of coffees, books, gift-shop and Wi-Fi.