Özgür Kar (Turkey / Netherlands)
White Bay Power Station
Working with video, sound, performance, and installation, Özgür Kar’s practice is an exploration of contemporary existentialism, focusing on the interconnections between digital media and the human body. His installations are monochromatic, featuring minimally animated characters trapped within television screens who languorously deliver tales of desire and despair.
He takes inspiration from Ottoman and Persian folklore, experimental theatre, early animation and 1990s MTV cartoons. Kar devises his works as theatrical scenes with each character playing its part within a non-linear script. He often works with voice actors and instrumentalists to create deceptively simple, looping soundscapes that become increasingly fraught (and profound) with repeated viewing.
Commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney with generous assistance from Mondriaan Fund, SAHA Association, and Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Australia.