Cevdet Erek
Cevdet Erek was born in 1974 in Istanbul,
where he currently lives and works
Cevdet Erek studied architecture at Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts in Istanbul between 1992 and 1999. In 2003, while practicing as an architect and performing with the rock group Nekropsi, Erek received his master’s degree in sound engineering and design at the Center for Advanced Studies in Music (MIAM) of Istanbul Technical University, where he also completed a PhD.
His artistic practice is based on the themes of sound, architecture, rhythm, measured time, dance music and site-specificity. Combining video, sound and images he often attempts to alter the viewer’s perception and experience of a given environment. He is particularly interested in the way we apprehend the world around us and organize our lives through measurements of space (metric system), time (calendar and clock) and music tempo (beats per minute). The artist conflates these seemingly objective systems with other apparently more subjective ones, such as the timeline of events or the changing rhythm in musical improvisations.
Cevdet Erek has had solo exhibitions at venues including Arter, Istanbul (2020), Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin; Art Institute of Chicago (2019), M KHA, Antwerpen (2018), Pavilion of Turkey at the 57th Venice Biennale (2017), MUAC, Mexico (2017), Spike Island, Bristol, UK (2014), MaerzMusik, Berlin, Germany (2013), Künstlerhaus Stuttgart, Germany (2013), Kunsthalle Basel, Bâle, Switzerland (2012), Overgaden, Copenhague, Denmark (2011) and 300m² Art Space, Gothenburg, Sweden (2009).
He also presented his works in several group exhibitions in international venues such as Manifesta 14, Prishtina (2022), Singapur Biennial, Singapur (2022), Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna (2022), Akademie der Künste der Welt, Cologne (2021), SF MOMA, San Francisco; Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt (2019), Shanghai Biennale (2018), 20th Sydney Biennale (2016), Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2014), MAXXI, Rome; Istanbul Modern, Istanbul; the 5th Marrakesh Biennial; Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2014), MAK, Vienna; the 11th Sharjah Biennial (2013), the 7th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT7), Queensland Art Gallery, Stanley Place, Brisbane; CCA Wattis, San Francisco; dOCUMENTA 13, Kassel; SALT, Istanbul; New Museum Triennial with Ala Younis, New York(2012), Istanbul Biennial (2011, 2013, 2015), Tate Modern, London(2011) and Home Works 5, Beirut (2010).
During his residency at Rijksakademie, Cevdet Erek was awarded with the Uriot Prize for his video Studio (2005) and he received the Nam June Paik Prize in 2012.
Bergama Stereotip, 2019-2020 - Architectural construction with 13-channel sound – Exhibition View, Arter, Istanbul, 2020 © flufoto
Bergama Stereo, 2019 - Exhibition View, Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin © Mathias Voelzke
Bergama Stereo in Singapore, 2022 - Exhibition view, Singapore Biennial
Brutal Times, 2022 - Exhibition view, Manifesta 14 Prishtina
Thrash Softly From Afar, 2019 - Exhibition View, Soft Power, SF MOMA, © Glenn Cheriton
Thrash Softly From Afar, 2019 - Exhibition View, Soft Power, SF MOMA, © Glenn Cheriton
chiçiçiçichiciçi, 2019, - Exhibition View, Art Institute of Chicago
chiçiçiçichiciçi, 2019 - Live Performance of Cevdet Erek and Tolga Yenilmez, Art Institute of Chicago
What Time Is It, 2019 - Exhibition View, Arter, Istanbul, © Hadiye Cangökçe
Father's Timeline, 2008 - Pencil and marker on paper
Ruler dOCUMENTA (13), 2012 - Pine wood (18 pieces), pencil
AAAA, 2018 - Exhibition View, M HKA, Antwerpen, Belgium © Christine Clinkx
AAAA, 2018 - Exhibition View, M HKA, Antwerpen, Belgium © Christine Clinkx
ÇIN, 2017 - 35-channel sound and architectural intervention – Exhibition View, Pavilion of Turkey, 57th Venice Biennale © RMphotostudios
ÇIN, 2017 - 35-channel sound and architectural intervention – Exhibition View, Pavilion of Turkey, 57th Venice Biennale © RMphotostudios
ÇIN, 2017 - 35-channel sound and architectural intervention – Exhibition View, Pavilion of Turkey, 57th Venice Biennale © RMphotostudios
ÇIN, 2017 - 35-channel sound and architectural intervention – Exhibition View, Pavilion of Turkey, 57th Venice Biennale © RMphotostudios
A Long Distance Relationship, 2017 - Exhibition view, MUAC, Mexico
Close Far Close, Performance with Ivan Manzanilla - A Long Distance Relationship, MUAC, Mexico, 2017
Room of Rhythms – Long Distance Relationship, 2016 - Exhibition View, Biennale of Sydney
Room of Rhythms – Long Distance Relationship, 2016 - Exhibition View, Biennale of Sydney
A Room of Rhythms – Curva, 2014 - Architectural additions and subtractions, multichannel sound – Exhibition View, MAXXI, Roma © Musacchio Ianniello
A Room of Rhythms – Curva, 2014 - Architectural additions and subtractions, multichannel sound – Exhibition View, MAXXI, Roma © Musacchio Ianniello)
Shading Monuments for the Artist, 2009 - Site-specific installation, laser cut on MDF
Shading Monuments for the Artist, 2009 - Exhibition View, Biennale de Cuenca, Ecuador, 2016
Shading Monuments for the Artist, 2009 - Detail
Courtyard Ornamentation with Four Sounding Dots and a Shade, 2013 - Four-channel sound, directional loudspeakers and architectural additions – Exhibition View, Sharjah Biennial 11
Courtyard Ornamentation with Sounding Dot and a Prison, 2014 - Four-channel sound, directional loudspeakers and architectural additions – Exhibition View, 5th Marrakech Biennial
Room of Rhythms, 2012 - LED panel, sound piece, sketches, rulers – Exhibition View, dOCUMENTA 13, Kassel © Nils Klinger
Room of Rhythms, 2012 - LED panel, sound piece, sketches, rulers – Exhibition View, dOCUMENTA 13, Kassel © Rosa M. Rühling
Week, 2012 - LED Display - Exhibition View, Kunsthalle Basel
Same to Different, 2013 - Series of ceramic and paper objects – Exhibition View, mor charpentier, Paris, 2014
Same to Different, 2013 - Series of ceramic and paper objects – Exhibition View, Museum of Greek Folk Art, Athens
Same to Different, 2013 - Series of ceramic and paper objects – Exhibition View, , Museum of Greek Folk Art, Athens
Jingle, 2012 - 8 hand blown glasses, I wine glass with ayran, Ipod, Sound
Studio, 2005-2007 - Video, loop, color, mono sound – Exhibition view, Spike Island, Bristol, 2014 © Stuard Whips
Alt Üst, 2014 - Site specific installation with sound – Exhibition View, Spike Island, Bristol, 2014 © Stuart Whipps
Rulers and Rhythm Studies, 2007-2011 - Rulers series, laser and paint on perspex or wood; Rhythms series, directional loudspeaker, audio player – Exhibition view, Spike Island, Bristol, 2014 © Stuart Whipps
Circular Week Ruler, 2011 - Laser and Black paint on transparent perspex
Ruler Coup, 2011 - Laser and Black paint on transparent perspex
Ruler Now-End, 2011 - Laser and Black paint on perspex
Rulers and Rhythm Studies, 2007-2011 - Exhibition View, 12th Istanbul Biennial, curated by Adriano Pedrosa
SSS [Shore Scene Soundtrack], 2006 - Performance, Sketches, Ink on paper