Scattered – Memory Game

This card game features 24 different artworks, from 12 artists from Turkey who live and work in the Netherlands. The works of the first generation of these artists – from the 1960s to 1970s – have largely been forgotten or neglected in the narratives of contemporary art history in the Netherlands. This playful, collective Memory Game creates space for these forgotten works while speculating on a future, non-canonical art history.

The Scattered – Memory Game invites players to learn and explore this history by matching pairs of works from the same artist. Featuring works by Esma Yiğitoğlu, Mustafa Şener, Bülent Evren, Nesrin During, Servet Koçyiğit, Deniz Buga, Müge Yılmaz, Kubilay Mert Ural, Suat Ögüt, Merve Kılıçer, Cihad Caner and Ulufer Çelik.

Concept and text by Nesli Gül, 2022. 

Scattered is part of the ongoing research project The Impact of Contemporary Artists, who moved from Turkey, on the Dutch Art Ecosystem initiated by Nesli Gül. Using archival material, the exhibition investigates the shifting perspectives of artists and their connections to their own cultural heritage, their representation in society with ever-changing policies, and the influence of the Turkish diaspora on their artistic discourse. The main challenge facing the ongoing research project – addressed in the exhibition – is mainly scattered, fragmented, and “hard to reach” raw information. Selected posters, catalogues, invitations, brochures, postcards, booklets, newspaper clippings, correspondences with institutions, and artist documentaries reveal discussions on hot topic issues such as migration and identity politics.