Reincarnation: Haluk Akakçe

An exhibition of Haluk Akakçe's new work, held in collaboration with Galerist & Tabanlıoglu, will open at Passage Petits Champs building in Tepebası, Istanbul.

In his new work, Akakçe continues to explore the issues he has been focusing on since 2007: the themes of transformation, rebirth and the continuity of life. The exhibition explores the theme of reincarnation and showcases paintings as well as a new video installation. Reflecting on the relationship between forms and energy, and the definition of soul and its physical aspects, in his uniquely abstract language Akakçe creates a new world where the form is freed from gravity and its amplitude.  The forms from the paintings come into shape in a world in which gravity and scope lose their impact.

A book on the artist’s work, ‘Haluk Akakçe: Reincarnation’, will be launched concurrently with the opening of the exhibition on September 9th, 2009. Rather than an exhibition catalogue, it is a book that examines both recent and previous work, his areas of interest and sources of inspiration. The book includes a survey essay by Dr. Kathy Battista; an interview with Nomi Ruiz, former lead singer of “Hercules and the Love Affair” and now “Jessica 6”; philosophical text by architect Lebbeus Woods; and an extract from an essay by French philosopher Henri Bergson. As well as making a significant contribution to the artist’s bibliography, the book, designed by Lisa Smith, a partner of Marque Creative, is a beautiful object in itself.

 

Haluk Akakçe, (born 1970, Ankara) after completing his degree in Interior Design at Bilkent University in Ankara, pursued two Masters in Art, one from Royal College of Art, London and the other from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Akakçe held exhibitions in significant art institutions such as the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York) Museum für Gegenwartskunst (Basel), Tate Britain (London), PS1 Contemporary Art Center (New York) and Kunst-werke (Berlin).