Collaboration and visibility: changing relations between socially engaged art, anthropology and urban sphere in Turkey

Abstract

After the 1990s, the number of art fairs, events and biennials in Turkey has not only increased but also the involvement of art world institutions in the art scene has transformed the practices of contemporary artists. This transformation resulted in a growing interest in socially engaged practices that are characterized by engagement and dialogue of the artists with the communities. I investigate the historical and social background for the proliferation of socio-political interest in art through the major sociopolitical changes in Turkey. I aim to illustrate the role of the artists working with communities in urban sphere, with their potential to raise awareness on the community's struggle, predominantly by making them ‘visible’ with the artistic process. My paper focuses on this interaction between artists and communities in the urban context from an anthropological perspective, in order to address the role and potential of art practices while creating events with participatory processes. In conclusion, this paper sheds new light on the potentialities of anthropological analysis of socially engaged art by examining this interaction through some cases from Turkey.