Archive signifies the closing of a chapter for Versus Art Project as they bid farewell to their iconic white cube gallery in Istanbul—a space distinguished by its apartment-like layout, soaring ceilings and exposed moldings. For 12 years, the gallery has occupied Hanif Han, an exceptional example of Istanbul’s Art Nouveau and Art Deco architecture, built in 1904 by the architects Antonie N. Perpignani and M. G. Langas. With this departure, yet another cultural institution leaves the historic Beyoğlu district.
The title Archive serves as a poignant tribute, reflecting both the building as a repository of the city’s vanishing cultural heritage and the gallery’s own legacy of preserving and presenting contemporary art. The word 'archive' also speaks to the process by which the artists represented in the exhibition gather, preserve and reinterpret information, capturing the essence of their work through a constantly evolving narrative.
Featuring a diverse group of artists, Archive showcases works by Larissa Araz, Burçak Bingöl, Ahmet Ertuğ, HUO RF, Ege Kanar (main picture), Yelta Köm, Rehan Miskci, Metehan Özcan, Yasemin Özcan, SABO, Sibel Horada, Ömer Pekin, Selim Süme, Serkan Taycan and Vahit Tuna. Collectively, their works embody the gallery’s ongoing dialogue with Istanbul’s art community.
The photographic works stood out to me the most. In line with the theme of 'archive', Selim Süme’s Transit series (2023), a collection of 10 photographs, captures the fleeting moments from the pandemic era with an unfocused lens. These images are raw yet warm, evoking a sense of humanity amidst uncertainty.
Next to Süme’s work, Larissa Araz’s Dear Jullia (2022), a black-and-white photo installation of 27 images, offers another deeply personal reflection on the past. Together these works feel like visual diaries, each one a snapshot of individual experiences that resonate on a broader, collective level.
In the corridor leading to the back of the exhibition, four photographs from Serkan Taycan’s Habitat series (2007-2009) are displayed in a square formation. Taycan, who grew up moving between various cities in Turkey, captures both landscapes and portraits of Anatolia, using these images to explore themes of identity and belonging in rural areas.
The backroom, just before the offices, is dedicated to the works of Ege Kanar, the newest addition to the ARTER collection. On display is a striking wall of 35 black-and-white photographs, arranged in five horizontal and seven diagonal rows, collectively titled 'Approaching a Site of Extraction' (2024). Each piece is a collage of four to six images, sourced from NASA’s open archive, depicting a hole in the surface of Mars. It merges the human instinct to archive – whether by pinning insects to walls or collecting images of Martian terrain – highlighting our relentless desire to document and control the unfamiliar.
A standout feature of the exhibition is the work of architect and artist Ömer Pekin, whose four pieces capture a notable evolution in his practice. His 2018 works, characterised by smooth, black, lacquered steel surfaces, have given way to a deeper, more tactile exploration of texture and sculpture. Untitled 29 (2023) is especially compelling, as the color and texture shift with the viewer’s perspective, creating the illusion of movement without any physical motion. Constructed from welded aluminIum pipes and lacquered surfaces, the piece reveals a striking detail upon closer inspection: the pipe connections appear coated in thick, oily drops, evoking a sense of weight and viscosity, as if they have been fused together by something heavy and industrial.
Archive is a thoughtfully curated farewell exhibition that leaves the audience eagerly anticipating what comes next. It serves as a poignant reminder of how galleries provide vital space for artists to refine their voices, highlighting the importance of such cultural institutions in preserving and shaping the communal archive.
