Alp Doğu Eser
Alp Doğu Eser was born in 1994 in Ankara. In 2019, he graduated as the top student of the Art History Department at Cumhuriyet University. In 2021, he completed his master’s degree in the Department of Art History, specializing in Western Art and Contemporary Arts at Hacettepe University, with a thesis titled "Following the Mediterranean Light: Venice, Martigues, Istanbul through the Eyes of Félix Ziem." In 2022, he began his doctoral studies at the same institution.
Eser has also received comprehensive training in hosting, vocal performance, dance, theater history, diction, and acting from institutions such as the Başkent Communication Sciences Academy and the Sadri Alışık Cultural Center. Furthermore, he graduated from the “Contemporary Art and Curatorship” program, jointly organized by Açık Diyalog İstanbul and Akbank Sanat, with his exhibition project titled "Vicious Circle."
He continues to work on his dissertation, "New Media Art in Turkey and The Place of Artificial Intelligence Technologies in Contemporary Art Practices," and co-hosts the program "Counter-Conversations" with Art Historian Barış Acar, where they discuss the actions and dynamics of contemporary art.
Books: Modern Confinements: A Diary of an Art Historian, Following the Mediterranean Light: Félix Ziem (1821–1911),Is Contemporary Art a Fraud or a Truth? Avelina Lésper Analysis, The Uniqueness Phenomenon of the Artwork: Non-Fungible Token and Art,, The NFT State of Art, A Critical Look at Today: Life, Art, Art History, Artificial Intelligence and Art: A Perspective on Discussions with Artists, Artificial Intelligence and Art: Tool or Purpose?
Vicious Circle
The exhibition’s fundamental aim is to make visible, through art, the truths that society often avoids confronting. It seeks to remind us of the necessity of pausing, reflecting, and understanding in a fast-moving world.
The exhibition will be organized under two main themes: Reminding and Proposals. These sections aim to create a dialogue platform to understand the chronic problems of our society and generate solutions.
1. Reminding
The first section will highlight issues in our country that have persisted for generations and await resolution. Problems such as femicides, child brides, urban sprawl, environmental destruction, migration, and identity politics are among the fundamental challenges our society faces. This exhibition will not only bring these problems to the surface but also critique the cyclical structure in which these issues are reproduced.
Tragic events that frequently dominate our agenda, unfortunately, fail to leave a lasting impression on our collective memory. We quickly forget the trauma caused by one incident and find ourselves in a position of waiting for the next disaster. This continuity reflects not only individual but also societal apathy. The artworks in this exhibition aim to question this apathy and invite viewers to confront it.
The section titled "Reminding" seeks to reveal the recurring nature of these issues. When these problems come to the forefront, they create temporary awareness, but this awareness quickly fades. Society, after being shaken by shocking events, returns to the pace of daily life, paving the way for the next crisis. This cyclical structure has become entrenched in an environment where individuals and institutions fail to develop appropriate social responses.
2. Proposals
The second section focuses on solutions to these problems. The works presented by artists demonstrate that social transformation is possible and that individuals, from the smallest units to the largest communities, can come together to realize this change. This section explores answers to the question, "What can the solution be?" while also criticizing the superficiality of responses to societal issues.
The exhibition investigates the possibilities of developing meaningful responses. Topics such as women’s rights, environmental protection, and sustainable urbanization are addressed not only through critique but also with a perspective rooted in hope and action. At the core of these solutions lie active participation and the rebuilding of collective consciousness.
The "Vicious Circle" exhibition’s fundamental aim is to make visible, through art, the truths that society often avoids confronting. It seeks to remind us of the necessity of pausing, reflecting, and understanding in a fast-moving world. Jean Baudrillard’s theory of the "Simulation Universe" has been a significant source of inspiration for the exhibition. According to Baudrillard, in the simulation universe created by technology and mass media, the processes of meaning have shortened, reducing individuals' ability to react deeply to events.
"With the development of technology and mass media, the abundance and speed of messages in the simulation universe have killed the evaluation of life experiences and awareness. Processes of meaning have shortened and turned into instant judgments. Responses to rapidly flowing images on screens have become as brief as possible in terms of duration, leaving people no time to think. Consequently, in the simulation universe, perception processes are limited to continuously flowing images in an environment where superficial decisions are quickly made." (Baudrillard, 2016, p. 110).
In this context, the exhibition is not merely a space for awareness but also a call to reflection and action. Art is approached as a tool capable of rebuilding social memory, encouraging individuals to think deeply and take initiative.