Cevdet Erek, 1974

Cevdet Erek’s artistic practice focuses on audio-visual arts and music. Since the early 2000s, Erek has gained recognition for his skillful use of sound and space in contemporary art . He is also a core member of Nekropsi, a pioneering band in alternative/experimental rock known for its unconventional practice; Erek plays the drums and performs as a vocalist at recording sessions and concerts. His works are usually site-specific and conceived for existing conditions. He examines conceptually the audience’s visual, physical and auditory experience of specific spaces. Employing seemingly every day or ordinary objects and materials in his works composed of sound, architectural alterations, moving and still images, Erek questions the manner in which the world is perceived and how people structure their lives. He examines the experience of time through various conduits and phenomena such as history, timelines, calendars, and clocks. He often uses rhythm, tempo, beat and repetition as auditory elements, and alters the audience’s perception by manipulating the architectural elements of the space.

Black with White” is distilled from the range of his artistic adventures, centered in Istanbul but with many other stops, since 2007. The work is composed of a variety of his visible, tangible or audible productions from different places and times, following, diversifying and deforming them. He makes connections between themes and concepts that are apparent but can be ignored, such as rhythm, repetition, light, absence/ presence, history, texts, everyday materials and technology. In this work, previous projects exhibited in different places are observed through materials that describe their production processes, such as books, catalogues and inscriptions. The artist presents events, people, objects and sounds in “Black with White” on a platform of common relatedness and invites the audience to find a current flowing between them.