Given the fact that artists’ mobility in combination with a mutual cultural fervour has existed for centuries between Turkey and Europe, the lack of awareness of the potential of AiRs, and the lack of cultural policies for mobility in Turkey today, are problematic.
Given the fact that artists’ mobility in combination with a mutual cultural fervour has existed for centuries between Turkey and Europe, the lack of awareness of the potential of AiRs, and the lack of cultural policies for mobility in Turkey today, are problematic. From Bellini to Bartok, from the Turkish paper Ebru to the Holbein carpets of Anatolia, artistic information has been exchanged and cherished between Turkey and Europe for a long time, and Turkish artists have been sent to Europe for educational purposes since the 19th century. Can the productive and longstanding relationship between Turkey and the EU countries ease the potential intensification of an AiR exchange, despite the current differences in cultural strategies, education, economy, as well as religious inclinations?
The global dialogue between Turkey and other cultures is more instrumental, crucial and enriching in the 21st century than ever before. The encounters between artists surpass the idea of a general cultural exchange, while art and culture penetrate society in an osmotic manner, affecting politics, as well as everyday life. Moreover, the arts − just like the sciences − can develop greatly if nourished by a global critique. The rapidly changing methods of art making, including collaborative productions and hybrid manifestos, make it necessary for today’s artists and cultural initiatives to build tightknit relationships with the international art world. Networking, artist residencies, and cultural mobility are the major means of conduct of the current art world. The function of residencies shall no more be the ‘orientalist influence of Bellini’ [2] but something more vivid that emphasizes the encounter rather than the work. Each time a new perspective is gained and a small but important shift in someone’s mindset might take place.
http://www.on-air-mobility.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Research-Turkey.pdf