Serhat Kiraz

Galeri Nev is closing its “25th Anniversary” with an exceptional exhibition by Serhat Kiraz. The show includes thirty canvases by Kiraz which are created buy setting out from the number “25” and which are all hiding beyond the mathematics and the philosophy of time. The artist, who is best known for his installations, has, for the first time since his student years, resumed working with canvas and paint, exclusively for his works to be exhibited at Nev. The exhibition also includes a 25 piece installation that brings to daylight a series of documents, correspondence and photographs selected from the 25 year long history of the Gallery.
Serhat Kiraz graduated from the State Academy of Fine Arts in 1979. In 1977, while still a student, along with Şükrü Aysan, Ahmet Öktem and Avni Yamaner, he founded the Community for the Definition of Art, with the aim of dwelling on the structure of art, pondering on its nature and questioning its function. The group held exhibitions between 1978 and 1981, materializing for the first time in Turkey events on Conceptual Art; paving the way for the relationship between the art piece, the viewer and the exhibition space to be considered anew. The place occupied by the Community for the Definition of Art and the significance of the works of Kiraz within the Community were displayed in its most comprehensive way at the “Modern and Beyond” exhibition held at SantralIstanbul. Serhat Kiraz is also represented at the IstanbulModern and at the Collection of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey. Outside Turkey, the works of Kiraz were seen in Musee d’art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Lisbon and KunstMuseum Bonn among others. Kiraz was also invited to the 45th and the 47th Biennales of Venice.