MEHMET DERE (1979 - İzmir)
Mehmet Dere was born in 1979 in İzmir. He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Painting Department at Dokuz Eylül University. He completed his MA in the same faculty and 2020 completed his PhD at Sakarya University Faculty of Art and Design, Painting Department at Sakarya University. The language that the artist creates in his work exists in an area of many (sociological-psychological) layers that touch one another. The conceptual framework of Dere's early works exists in a political area and deals with the socio-political history of Turkey, its multi-culturalism, identity, and creating multi-vocality in terms of belonging and cultural democratization. In terms of form, Dere generally produces installations through which he can reach the whole from smaller parts. Dere uses objects, photos, charcoal patterns, and object installations to create a personal archive (narrative) in a sense. Also, he creates objects based on social memory and senses and works on video. In his own words, Dere likes to collect "invisible stories" while creating his works. For the artist, a whole is traveling in time composed of small episodes. Dere constantly feeds his work in this way in their reckoning with and creating reality.
Deriving from Turkey's cultural history, the exhibition consists of a series of ironic and upfront constructions, focusing on research of local and social memory. While the artist builds his work with the retrieved images of the cultural memory, he poetically includes his subjectivity to all these captivities. Issues of social injustice, resistance, and politics of survival are raised not through the artist's observation as an outsider, but from close range; a perspective precisely constructed by the practices of life. This stance, at times tragicomic, and at times built upon the relationship of patience and suffering, is tackled to be presented to the audience time and again, uninterrupted, and almost prayer-like. Looking at Turkey's cultural history, while focused on memory, and individual and social identity research, the recent work shows an abstract trend towards poetic lyricism fed by internal reality.
Dere's non-profit art space, located in İzmir ' Gürceşme', also hosts the contemporary art initiative 49A, of which he is the founder. This studio has been founded with the pursuit to create a space where contemporary art can exist in the rhythm of everyday life, open itself up to the world, and interact with its environment. 49A, which is the construct of a visible and sustainable tangible space, thus aims to ensure the accessibility and possibilities of production and host other people's projects in a playfield. The artist, who has opened his first solo exhibitions in this space, is also a longtime member of the K2 Contemporary Art Center in İzmir and has participated in numerous group exhibitions at the center. Additionally Dere has participated in 'When Ideas Become Crime' curated by Halil Altındere at the Tütün Deposu in 2010; 'Port İzmir 2', Silence Storm, 'International Contemporary Art Triennial'; and the 'I am Here, The Time is Now' exhibition at Rotterdam curated by Ong Keng Sen and sponsored by the European Culture Fund in 2008. He was awarded a special prize at the '27th Contemporary Artists Exhibition' at Akbank Art Beyoğlu. In 2007, he participated in the special project realized at Santral İstanbul in the scope of the 10th İstanbul Biennial. The artist's first comprehensive solo exhibition titled ' Quid rides? De te fabula narratur.' organized at Rampa consists of a series of ironic and upfront constructs focusing on local and social memory research deriving from Turkey's cultural history.
Education
2000- 04 BA, Painting and Drawing, Dokuz Eylül University. Faculty of Fine Arts, İzmir / Turkey
2013- 2016 MA Painting and Drawing, Dokuz Eylül University. Faculty of Fine Arts, İzmir / Turkey
2016-2020 PHD Painting and Drawing Sakarya Faculty of Art & Design, Sakarya / Turkey
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023 A.g.e* Merdiven Art Space, Istanbul, Turkey
2021 Elective Affinities, SANATORIUM, Istanbul, Turkey
2015 Payback, İMÇ5533 Non-Profit Space, Istanbul, Turkey
2015 But Now, 49A & İO Non-Profit Space, Izmir, Turkey
2014 Papercut, Zorlu Center & Arton Galery, Istanbul, Turkey
2012 'Everything and Nothing', Atölye Flash, Izmir, Turkey
2012 'Black Truths, White Lies', 49A, Izmir, Turkey
2012 'First Blood', MASA / Istanbul, Turkey
2011 'Quid rides? De te fabula narratur?, Rampa, Istanbul, Turkey
2010 'One Night Stand', 49A, Izmir, Turkey
2008 'Stardust' Mehmet Dere, 49A, Izmir, Turkey
2005 'Derece', Konak Sanat Galerisi,İzmir
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 'blind spot' artists pick artists '24, artSümer, Istanbul, Turkey
2023 Uzak/Yakın Vol.1, İzmir Resim ve Heykel Müzesi, İzmir, Turkey
2023 Onunla, Fişekhane, Istanbul, Turkey
Curated by Begüm Güney
2022 #EyÖzgürlük!, TGC Basın Müzesi, Istanbul, Turkey
2022 On a Beam of Light, Taksim Sanat, Istanbul Turkey
Curated by Begüm Güney
2022 A Bit of Unruly Complexity, SANATORIUM, Istanbul, Turkey
Curated by Misal Adnan Yıldız
2021 Afresh, AKM, Istanbul, Turkey
Curators: Haldun Dostoğlu & Gizem Gedik
2020 Mask/Connotations, Baksı Museum, Bayburt, Turkey
2020 Drawing the Soul Toward Truth, Online Exhibition
Centre for the Art & Religion, Doug Adams Gallery, Berkeley, U.S.A
2020 On Paper, Online Exhibition, Artimu
Istanbul Medeniyet University, Istanbul, Turkey
2020 "House" Online exhibition, Artimu
Istanbul Medeniyet University, Istanbul, Turkey
2019 Sphere, Crust Collective Exhibition, Bremen, Germany
2019 Winter is Coming, Merdiven Art Space, Istanbul, Turkey
2018 Eskiz Hali, Galeri 5, İstanbul, Turkey
2018 Hopeless Emptiness, SANATORIUM, İstanbul, Turkey
Curated by Mehmet Dere
2017 Burada, Haydarpaşa Garı İstanbul, Turkey
2016 Bölünmez ,Sabancı Üniv. Kasa Galeri ,İstanbul, Turkey
2016 Dar Ağaç-Bu arada Group Exhibition, İzmir, Turkey
2016 Art Prints IZMIR, Marquise project, Izmir, Turkey
2016 Istanbul Codex, Imago Mundi Turkish collection, Istanbul, Turkey
2015 İzler, Tansa Mermerci Ekşioğlu Kolleksiyonu , M1886
2015 Kapalı Kutu , Curated by Stefan Bohnenberger
K2 Contemporary Art Center, Izmir, Turkey
2014 Üç Oda Bir Yabancı, Maquise project Izmir 2013 ...with all the
changes that loomed far behind the horizon?, Izmir, Turkey
Mars Artist Run Space, Istanbul, Turkey
2013 'Untitled' Exhibition Pilevneli Project, Istanbul, Turkey
2013 'Social Animals' Group Exhibition Alanistanbul, Istanbul, Turkey
2012 'Deadpan Exchange V' Skopje, Skopje, Macedonia
2012 'Re-Locate' Apartment Project, Istanbul, Turkey
2010 'When Ideas Become Crime' Tütün Deposu, Istanbul, Turkey
2010 'Silence_Storm' Port Izmir 2
International Triennial of Contemporary Art, Izmir, Turkey
2009 '10th Year Exhibition' Kasa Gallery Istanbul, Turkey
2009 'Translocation' collaborative exhibition, Atelierhaus Salzamt
Linz, Austria
2009 'Go to Salzamt' exhibition Salzamt Atelierhaus, Linz, Austria
2009 'İddialıyız' Mehmet Dere & Nejat Satı, 49A, Izmir, Turkey
2009 'Şebeke' video screening, Curated by Selim Birsel,
Centre d'Art Contemporain Georges Pompidou, Cajarc, France
2008 'Heim' Kutu Project, Atelier Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
2006 "Circle", K2 Contemporary Art Center (room exhibition)
Izmir, Turkey
2006 "One Minute Film & Video Festival", Switzerland
2005 "Other's Chance", K2 Contemporary Art Center, Izmir, Turkey
2005 "New Suggestions, New Proposals", Borusan Gallery
Istanbul, Turkey
2008 'Made in Turkey' Positionen Türkischer Künstler 1978-2008
Frankfurt, Germany
2008 'I AM HERE, THE TIME IS NOW' European Cultural Foundation
curated by Ong Keng Sen, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2008 'Work to Room' collaborative project, curated by
Övül Durmuşoğlu, Gon Bookstore, Istanbul, Turkey
2008 'Urban Jealousy' 1st International Roaming Biennial of Tehran
curated by Serhat Köksal & Amirali G, Tehran, Iran
2008 '27. Contemporary Artist Exhibition' Special Award
Akbank Sanat Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey
2007 10. İstanbul Biennial Special Project, Santral Istanbul
Istanbul, Turkey
2007 'Off the Record' Parallel Event, Port 07 Izmir
Konak Municipality, Izmir, Turkey
2007 'Unmarked Categories' K2 Contemporary Art Center, Izmir, Turkey
2007 'Endless Possibilities' curated by Adnan Yıldız, Kasa Gallery
Istanbul / Turkey
2007 'All About Lies' collaborative project / Apartment Project
Izmir Port, Izmir / Turkey
2005 'The little, the cheap, the trash and absolutely passionate:'
Young Turkish Artists from K2 Artists
2005 'DERE & SATI' K2 Contemporary Art Center, Izmir, Turkey
2005 'A Little Break' K2 Contemporary Art Center, Izmir, Turkey
2005 'Alice vs. Alice' artists from K2 artists initiative, Kasa Gallery
Istanbul, Turkey
2004 'Çatı Katı Tavan Arası' Group exhibiton, K2 artists initiative
Turkey
2004 'Notify Me If I'm Faulty' Room: 233, K2 Contemporary Art Center
Izmir, Turkey
