AGANTA BURINA BURINATA
A Project for the Bodrum Biennial
Introduction of the Bodrum Biennial
.The history of the Bodrum city
.Where ( Exhibition Places)
.The Curatorial Concept and the Titel
The Introduction of the Bodrum Biennial :
This project developed through the ten years of national art exhibitions in Turkey, which have been held in different cities every year by the Association called; Modernist ( The association of the modern art museum.) The aim of the Modernist by doing these shows, was to bring modern art to even the most remote corners of the country and to support the liberal idea of Republic; the modern Turkey, which was founded in 29 of October 1923.
These annual events are therefore named: “The October Parades” and they were particularly opened on the 29 of October every year in different cities.
Because of the increasing interest and number of the participants; the association has decided to bring these national shows to an international level, by transcending regional boundaries, and establishing a lasting and valuable communication with an idea of a biennial in Bodrum.
The Biennial aims:
•Developing an international avenue and structure for international cultural exchanges;
•Establishing the display for presentation of native contemporary arts;
•Producing new definitions of arts;
•Recognizing distinctive arts around the world and supporting arts;
•Closely putting together and promoting arts with international orientation and national interests, in serving the society and human beings.
.Also changing the city of Bodrum`s very much commercialized infrastructure into an art city, which was the way before.
History of the Bodrum City:
The history of Bodrum, known as Halicarnassus or Halicarnassos goes back to the 13th century BC. Excavaties reveal the 5000 year old history of this town. Many civilisations found their home here. Carians for excample, Homer tells in his Ilia, that the Carians helped to defend Troya. Heredotus, known as the father of history, was born in Bodrum in 484 BC.- and he said that Bodrum had been founded by the Dorians. The next settlers were Carians and Lelegians. In the 6′th. century BC., the region came under Persian rule. Its most brilliant period was around 353. BC. when it was the capital of the Satrap of Caria (In this century it was famous for its trade, sailing and boatbuilding.)
Artemisia who was a warrior-woman played a significant role in the protection of the Asian Union and she achieved fame by adopting a stance against Rhodes as the Admiral of the Carianfleet in 480 BC.
The Mausoleum is Bodrums oldest antiquity and was built by Artemisia II in honor of her husband King Mausolos. It became one of the wonders of the ancient world, Mausoleum still is the general term for a large tomb. The entire structure stood at over 50 meters in height.
The first reliefs from the Mausoleum reached the British Museum in London in 1846, these included frescos and other objects.
In 334 BC, Halicarnassus was conquered by Alexander the Great which later became a naval base for the Lagos Dynasty of Egypt. In 192 BC, the city became a Roman colony, and in 88 BC was briefly ruled by the Pontus Kingdom.
Halicarnassos fell to the Seljuk Turks in 1071 AD, and it was with the permission of Sultan Celebi Mehmet that the Knights of Rhodes were able to construct Bodrum Castle – the Castle of St. Peter. The castle, with its English, French and German towers is today the symbol of the town.
The city came under Ottoman rule in 1522 AD when Suleyman the Magnificent captured Rhodes and forced the knights to move to Malta. Known as ‘Petrion’ after the Castle of St. Peter, this later became in Turkish ‘Bodrum’, the name by which the town is known today.
We will use several exhibitions places in the city.
-Sevket Sabanci Cultural Center : www.turgutreiskultursanat.org
-Osmanli Tersanesi Art Gallery
However the main center of the biennial will be the the Bodrum Castle. It is the most prominent feature of Bodrum .The castle’s origins date back to the knights of St. John .
Bodrum Kalesi ( Bodrum Casrle)
This group of expatriates began in the 11th century with a church and hospital in Jerusalem. Although belonging to the Catholic religion care was denied to no-one.
When the knights arrived they instructed their builders to remove all usable materials from the tomb of King Mausolos as the castle construction began in the 1400′s.The knights refered to the town as Mesy not knowing that they where in the ancient Halicarnassus. The fortress became known as the Castle of St. Peter, the Liberator, it served as the sole place of refugee for all Christians on the West Coast of Asia during the time of the crusades. For over a century the castle served as a stronghold in the knights community.
Under Turkish care the castle has undergone several uses including being a military base, a prison and a public bath. But now it is one of the finest museums in this region.
The Biennial is planned to be opened on the September 2. 2013 and continue throughout the October till November 1.
The Curatorial Concept and the Titel:
One of the most important persons for the history of Bodrum is Cevat Sakir Kabaagac; known as ‘the fisherman of Halicarnassus’; who played an important role in introducing Bodrum to people.
Bodrum was once a place used for exile, for those who were punished by the authorities. Amongst those exiles was also Cevat Şakır Kabaağaç who had been born into a well off İstanbul family. During his three years exile he fell in love with Bodrum. After that he chose to stay , where his exile was and it became his new home and heaven. He wrote many books about his love of this place and did many researches about the history and ecology of Bodrum. His first book written in Bodrum called; “Aganta Burina Burinata” which is like a password, used first by the fishermen and later on by all the locals: farmers, shop keepers, cooks, tailors, shepherds for greeting each other.
It was a communication term used on the boat, a command given when fishermen set sail to the open sea, shouting to the sea and sky and to the land.
Although the words “Aganta Burina Burinata” themselves make no meaning in the spoken and written language but the words connoted with meaning, stand for greeting the nature and the acknowledgement and respect of its inhabitants.
And the most importantly I see it as a call for local, translocal and nonlocal connectedness of all beings. I aim to bring questions about this connectedness as an individual to a place, whether a place where we are a local or a visitor. The places like Bodrum with a long past history, have different functions and identities, meanings all throughout the history. Once it was a powerful city of armed forces and trade, now it is just a tourist attraction; exactly the opposite aim of the Halicarnassus Fisherman when he first wrote that book Aganta Burina Burinata. The writer talks about this almost sacred connection between man , the sea and the land. The sea has a character of its own and the relationship between the characters and the sea in the book is a combination of a yearning, a search, a belonging and fear. These are all those basic human emotions that we all may feel to a physical place or to a place in our psyche that a person or a memory represents. Those three words were shouted to the sea always with that same acknowledgment of connectedness, which is probably for centuries long. And I could not think of anything better than this title, that also sounds like a melody to the ears “Aganta Burina Burinata”.