Exhibitions are not merely spaces that offer aesthetic experiences; at times they are a call, at times a laboratory of thought. STAGED brought audiences into precisely this experience on May 29 at Arkas Art Alacati. Bringing to the stage the relationship between humans and nature, the impacts of the climate crisis, and artificial imitations of nature, the exhibition presented an intellectual journey beyond the visual through works produced in various techniques by 35 artists from Türkiye and around the world.
Willem de Haan’s performance video, recorded as he drifted along a river in a boat conceived from the form of a house roof, together with Piero Gilardi’s monumental faux-nature carpets, highlighted and visualized the meeting point between art, environmental sensitivity, and sustainability initiatives.
The events that took place during the exhibition marked important points that enriched the overall experience. British artist Paul Hodgson invited viewers into his creative process through forms produced from waste materials, and the discussion with curator Billur Tansel explored the notions of artistic production and reuse. Summer workshops, artist talks, presentations of exemplary practices, and environmentally focused film screenings organized in cooperation with Institut Français Izmir encouraged participants not merely to view the works, but to engage with and question them from their own perspectives.
The library and archive section was another feature that set the exhibition apart. In this space, documents and publications consulted by the curator and focused on lifestyles in harmony with nature enabled visitors to engage more deeply with the exhibition’s theme. Materials in the library area, including Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Mycelium Forests theory—highlighting how collective cooperation in nature can inspire human life—offered a platform for visitors to reflect, investigate, and generate their own creative interpretations.
Staged combined aesthetic and intellectual experience, moving sustainability beyond a mere concept and proposing it as a form of practical awareness. The exhibition, which will conclude on January 4, leaves behind an echo that invites the audience to continue thinking and taking action even after leaving the space.
Artists Featured in the Exhibition:
Ahmet Dogu Ipek, Ali Borovali, Ali Kanal, Antonio Riello, Azade Koker, Bengu Karaduman, Berndnaut Smilde, Borga Kanturk, Burcak Bingol, Danielle Kwaaitaal, Ergin Cavusoglu ve Konstantin Bojanov, Ferhat Ozgur, Gozde Mimiko Turkkan, Gul Ilgaz, Hayal Incedogan, Henri Ferdinand Bellan, Ilgin Seymen, Ismail Egler, Murat Germen, Murat Morova, Murat Yildiz, Nancy Atakan, Nazif Topcuoglu, Nermin Er, Ozgur Demirci, Paul Hodgson, Piero Gilardi, Rose Morant, Selcuk Demirel, Sibel Horada, Silva Bingaz, T. Melih Gorgun, Tufan Baltalar, Willem De Haan.
