Performance Art in Turkey

Action art in Turkey.

Performistanbul is an international performance art platform founded in 2016 with an initial aim to unite performance artists under one roof. Based in Istanbul, the platform continues to embrace its “spaceless” identity by carrying out a flexible work model which consists of collaborating and developing projects with various art institutions, digital platforms and artists in the world. Performistanbul has realised almost 400 performances with over 100 artists in various locations and institutions, collaborating mostly with museums, galleries, public spaces and international organisations including Gazhane Museum, Pera Museum, SALT, OMM (Eskişehir), IMC 5533, Pi Artworks, Loading (Diyarbakır), Istanbul Biennial (2017, 2019, 2022), Tarabya Cultural Academy – Goethe-Institut Istanbul, British Council Turkey, V&A Museum – V&A (London), Tate (London), Caroline Garden’s Chapel (London), International Venice Performance Art Week (2017, 2019, 2020) and Live Art Development Agency (LADA).

Performistanbul established Turkey’s first Live Art Research Space (PCSAA), in the purpose of making a significant impact on the education and development of performance art by housing essential resources on live art. Together with PCSAA, Performistanbul Publications was founded to translate foreign sources into Turkish in order to publish them on digital platforms in Turkey and to provide further resources in the field. Performistanbul launched its first performance art focused artist residency programme in 2020 along with the founding of the first “Performance Art Practices” course in the Performing Arts Department of Istanbul Bilgi University. Finally in 2023, a research group has been established to conduct further research in the field.