Video Art in Turkey

Although Nil Yalter a pioneering Turkish artist started her video art works in Paris in the 1970s, video art in Turkey developed later, only in the 1980s. However, today it is one of the most practiced and exhibited art forms in Turkey, especially in the Istanbul Biennial and other contemporary art exhibitions. Video art in Turkey developed with the efforts of artists and video experts like Andreas Treske, Angela Melitopoulos and Thomas Balkendal who were the first teachers at the Gisam center at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara. Nil Yalter who is still active in Paris has generally dealt with women's issues and plight in traditional societies. Other artists who are well known are Gulsum Karamustafa who does footage work from old Turkish films, again concentrating on women's problems and other urban situations. Nancy Atakan is another artist who uses a wide range of subjects usually commentating on the use of language and memory. Recently many artists have been involved with political and social issues and human rights questions, especially in the rural areas of Turkey. Turkish video art has developed and diversified in the last twenty years. One of the most important influences in this regard was the Istanbul Biennale that began to focus on contemporary art since the 1990s. The Istanbul Biennale and several international contemporary art shows where Turkish artists were exhibited alongside international artists broght Turkish artists to international attention.