Mamut Art Project

Mamut Art Project to exhibit 400 works by 50 emerging artists in its sixth edition

Dedicated to engaging up-and-coming artists with new collectors, galleries and curators, Mamut Art Project will be back this spring, providing a dynamic platform for emerging creative talent throughout Turkey and abroad.

Directed by Seren Kohen and sponsored by Akkök Holding, the project will exhibit 400 accessibly-priced artworks across a wide range of disciplines including painting, sculpture, collage, photography, textile, digital art, animation, street art, new media and installation.

50 up-and-coming artists selected from 1000 applications across the region, by a jury of five multi-disciplinary experts comprising Ayşe Erkmen, an acclaimed contemporary artist who has exhibited at the Turkish pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale; the Barbican Centre in London and most recently at Skulptur Projekte Münster with her new project entitled On Water; Ayşe Umur, a collector, business woman and an active supporter civil society organisations; Evrim Altuğ, arts and culture journalist, art critic and founding member of AICA Turkey; Haldun Dostoğlu, founding director of Gallery Nev in Istanbul; and Selen Ansen, art theoretician and curator.

The first project in Turkey to suppot independent artists at this range, Mamut Art Project offers undiscovered artists the opportunity to showcase their works in ten square metres of exhibition space for free. As well as providing curatorial guidance, promotional support and networking opportunities during the exhibition, Mamut Art Project is proud to offer ongoing professional development consultancy to artists participating in the exhibition.

Mamut Art Project aims to celebrate and support emerging artistic talent through an international and multidisciplinary showcase, whilst giving an opportunity to art lovers to discover new names and buy original, accessibly priced artworks.

Mamut Performances
Three years ago, Mamut Art Project started a long term collaboration with Simge Burhanoğlu, founder of Performistanbul and Seyhan Musaoğlu, founder of Space Debris, to showcase the importance and power of performance art.

In its third edition, Mamut Performances aims to strengthen this program with notable additions under the theme of “Immaterial?”. For the first time in an art project in Turkey, the re-performance rights of the works in this section will be sold, staying true to the integrity of the works while maintaining the artistic copyrights. This initiation will mark an important chapter in the ongoing development of performance art in Turkey, focusing on the immaterial, experiential aspects of the discipline whilst also re-affirming the role, relevance and value of performance art.

Mythz by Krüw
Krüw is an Istanbul based artist collective with 20 artists from different fields including illustrators, sculptors and street artists. For the 6th edition of Mamut, Krüw will be creating an exclusive series of works inspired by mythological stories told across different territories and culture. A stated objective of the collective is to demonstrate that art should be accessible, and as such all works in Mythz will be editioned as attractively priced silkscreen prints throughout the Mamut event.

Mamut Kids
For the 2018 edition, Mamut Art Project will launch Mamut Kids; a workshop area specially designed for engaging children in arts. Children will have the chance to participate in interactive, colourful, fun and accessible activities focusing on process and experience.

Seren Kohen, Director of Mamut Art Project said: “In the sixth edition, Mamut Art Project will continue to support the most exciting emerging artistic talents working in diverse disciplines across Turkey and the wider region. Last year, we had a record edition attracting over 20,000 visitors, now I am confident to say that through Mamut Art Project, we’ve created a pioneering platform offering a distinctive alternative to the established commercial art fair model. In each edition, we keep taking it a step further and offer a unique artistic experience and affirm Istanbul’s prominence as an artistic hub for the region. We are looking forward to receiving new creative applications and we are very excited about the new concept of Mamut Performances which I am confident will offer an inspirational experience for art lovers.”

For further information and press enquiries please contact Funda Küçükyılmaz at
Flint: funda.kucukyilmaz [​at​] flint-pr.com / T +90 (0) 533 496 4814