PRESS MEETING
SALON IKSV / 2019-03-20

The project and the open call has been launched with a press conference held at the headquarters of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) at Salon İKSV on Wednesday, 20 March.

The participants included Cultural Counselor at the Embassy of the France in Turkey Eric Soulier, Strategy Development Director of Yunus Emre Institute Bülent Üçpunar, Head of Press and Cultural Affairs at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Turkey Dr. Quirine van der Hoeven, Director of Goethe-Institut Istanbul Dr. Reimar Volker, Director of the French Institute, Ankara Sébastien de Courtois, Istanbul Biennial Director and İKSV’s Contemporary Art Projects Director Bige Örer, Be Mobile – Create Together! Project Coordinator Tuna Ortaylı Kazıcı and Be Mobile – Create Together! Project Leader Sait Fehmi Ağduk.

“The ‘Be Mobile – Create Together!’ project, conducted by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) with Institut français de Turquie, Embassy of the Netherlands in Turkey and Goethe-Institut, envisages strengthening the artistic and cultural interaction between Europe and Turkey by creating multinational and multidisciplinary network between artist residencies in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Turkey. The project aims to encourage young talents and contribute to the formation of permanent bonds between the art scenes of Europe and Turkey. As İKSV, we are delighted to be taking part in this project as a residency in itself and a coordinator, not only of all the other participating residencies in Turkey, but also the project’s communication strategy.”

Tuna Ortaylı Kazıcı
Project Coordinator

“As the Yunus Emre Institute, we aim to establish bonds and strengthen alliances, cultural ties and relations between Turkey and other countries. To this end, we bring all kinds of activities in the field of culture, art and science from Turkey with no constraints to the attention of the international society. We hope that this project, carried out within the framework of the EU-Turkey Intercultural Dialogue programme, will support the development of long-term cooperation and partnerships.”

Bülent Üçpunar
Strategy Development Director of Yunus Emre Institute

“We are proud to be part of 'Be Mobile – Create Together!' residency programme. It is a great opportunity for artists to work abroad and be part of an inspiring network of residencies in Turkey, France, The Netherlands, and Germany. Four residencies in the Netherlands are included in the programme, based in different parts of the country and working in various disciplines: visual arts, literature, dance and theatre. So there is plenty of opportunity to cooperate, even across the different sectors.”

Dr. Quirine van der Hoeven
Head of Press and Cultural Affairs at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Turkey

“Even though we live in a globalised world, artistic practice remains rooted in physical space. A residency programme such as 'Be Mobile – Create Together!' underlines this important connection: to fully understand a culture, a place or a city, it is essential to live and work there for a while. This programme aims to translate this experience into artistic expression, providing an outside perspective from the inside. We are happy to be part of a project providing an opportunity for artistic exchange between the Netherlands, France, Germany and Turkey. In doing so, we hope to open new perspectives for exchange and dialogue between our countries.”

Dr. Reimar Volker
Director of Goethe-Institut Istanbul

“At the Institut français de Turquie, we have been involved on a daily basis in promoting intercultural dialogue between Turkey and Europe since 1952. We believe deeply in the potential for understanding and creativity that comes from the interaction between individuals and communities of different origins. We are very proud to launch the 'Be Mobile – Create Together!' project, the result of our long friendship and collaboration with Turkey. With our various partners, we have designed this project to strengthen the existing links between the artistic scenes of Turkey and Europe, but also to initiate new relationships, new partnerships and new synergies between artists and other cultural actors from the participating countries.”

Sébastien de Courtois
Director of the French Institute, Ankara

“As IKSV, we are happy to be part of this meaningful project 'Be Mobile – Create Together!' with our long term partners. We believe in the importance of cross-cultural collaborations as well as fostering cultural exchange and dialogue between Turkey, France, Germany and the Netherlands. We hope that the mobility of artists from Turkey and mentioned countries will allow them to engage with the local context and the art scene and to produce new works which will be inspired by their experience in the host cities. It will be an also significant platform for diverse residency programmes to learn from each other and share know-how.”

Bige Örer
Istanbul Biennial and İKSV Contemporary Art Projects Director