From the earliest Cabinet of Curiosities by Ferrante Imperato to the transformative shift embodied in Marcel Duchamp’s valise, or the later contribution of Ai Wei Wei’s structural reinforcements, artistic responses to the concept of archive and archival materials undergo an intellectual shift. It represents a profound paradigmatic change, navigating from the encyclopedic to the curatorial, from the definitive to the reformative, and from the original to the replica.
This presentation explores how contemporary practices revive archival materials, turning them into objects of attention. It delves into archival theories and processes involving deconstruction, decontextualization, detachment, and recycling, providing practical guidance and metaphorical models for the disciplines of art, architecture, and design. The discussion will also extend to Türker’s cross-disciplinary projects documenting cultural heritages in domains of architecture and ethnography.
*détournement is a French word meaning deflection, diversion, and distortion, or similar. Situationists used it to describe the archival reconstruction of artworks by creatively reforming them. Nicolas Bourriaud also references the word in his post-production thesis to describe the up-cycled state of archival materials.
Biography:
O. Batuhan Türker is a practicing artist and architect based in Ankara. Türker’s constructions foster dialogues through architectural and industrial processes, cross-spanning subjects of cultural and archival studies, recycling, and material-oriented design. Türker has contributed to over twenty international collections and exhibitions, showcasing his diverse medium of works, including painting, sculpture, and installation. In his Master’s project at Middle East Technical University, Türker produced a 102-piece museological collection for the Keeping it Modern Project by the Getty Foundation, centered on the historical university buildings designed by A&B Çinici. He worked for the 16th Istanbul Biennial in 2019, curated by Nicolas Bourriaud. Türker has received recognition from various institutions, including the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism (2023-22-21), Architizer, Izmir Association of Architects in Private Practice, ArtAnkara Contemporary Art Fair Committee, and World Architecture Community. Also, his works have been featured in reputable art collections, including The Artling Singapore, Saatchi Art Collection, and MSPL India. Currently, Türker continues his cross-disciplinary practices in his workshop in Ankara and pursues painting proficiency at Hacettepe University.
