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The unheard of history of Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum

Title	The unheard of history of Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum
Author	Köksal, Ayşe Hazar
Publication Date:	2014
Publication Place	- Hacettepe University
Subject	Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum, Social memory, Counter memory, Art history, Cultural policies, The Museum of Painting and Sculpture in Ankara, Collective memory, Counter memory, Art history, Cultural policy
Type	Periodical
Language	Turkish
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Library:	Özyeğin University
Library Asset ID	1301-5737
Record ID	727c0400-9599-4f2a-98b2-535458b20fce
Library Location	Industrial Design
Date	2014
Sample Text	Throughout history, social memory and counter-memory have been in struggle with each other. History, reconstructed according to the narratives of different power and knowledge relations, draws the boundaries of social memory, that is, what a society will remember and forget. In this process, art museums, through the objects they make visible, both legitimize this official history and mediate history's creation of a common social memory. However, the pluralistic social structure continues to create an other history nourished by different social contexts, practices and histories. Despite the limits of social memory, those who share a silent and invisible common past begin to create a counter-memory over time. This situation brings about a search for a new historical narrative that will include counter-memory. The museum becomes one of the most effective mediators of this power struggle through social and counter-memory. This article aims to convey the efforts of Ankara artists in the 1970s to create an art history narrative fed by their counter-memories and to legitimize it by establishing their own art museums. When the Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum was established in 1980, the contribution of this struggle was significant. In this context, the article aims to explain the silent dynamics behind the establishment of the museum and therefore the unheard history of the institution, rather than the official institutional history of the Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum. The Academy of Fine Arts, which was active in the art world during the early Republic period, became the most important institution that determined the boundaries of the art history narrative in Turkey through the Painting and Sculpture Museum established under it. In the museum, the Academy's art history writing based on the nation-state narrative became visible and this narrative created the social art memory. Despite the constantly changing Turkish conjuncture, the museum's continued use of the same practice began to be criticized in the 1970s. These criticisms are also aimed at the Academy's effort to re-establish its legitimacy through the museum in the diversifying art environment. In the same period, the art scene in Ankara began to create an identity based on being from Ankara, and productions nourished by this cultural identity began to emerge. This process has increased the demands for a museum and art history that will make visible the works created by the counter-memories of Ankara artists. The issue is an effort to build an alternative narrative to the art history writing and its display style in the museum, which has not changed since the Early Republic period. Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum was established as a space for this power struggle of Ankara artists over the history of art. However, ultimately, the Ankara Museum created a similar model to the Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum with its collection, exhibition and classification, and a museum emerged where Ankara artists were allowed to be visible to a certain extent and the boundaries of official art history were felt. Social memory, as a unifying spectacle, has destroyed the counter-memory and infected it with self-similarity. In this context, the articles published in Ankara Art Magazine, which published effective publications on the establishment of a museum at that time, were scanned, the conjuncture of the period was understood through other publications about the period, and the available documents were used to clarify some issues outside the official history of the museum., Collective and counter memory is constantly in conflict throughout history. History is reconstructed in different narratives of power and knowledge relations. Accordingly, this narrative delineates social memory; What society remembers and forgets. In this context, the art museum legitimizes the official history through the objects rendered visible. It also offers a space for collective memory construction based on the official history. Meanwhile, the pluralist structure of society continues to invent other histories of diverse social frameworks, relationships and pasts. Despite the limits of collective memory, people, who silently and invisibly share a common past, establish a counter-memory. Accordingly, a search for an inclusive history for the counter-memory begins. The museum acts as a mediator in the struggle for power between collective and counter-memory. The article aims to describe challenges of artists from Ankara to invent an alternative history of art based on their counter-memory via an art museum in Ankara. The Museum of Painting and Sculpture in Ankara has been founded in 1980 as a result of this struggle. In this context, the article intends to reveal the silent dynamics and the unheard history of the museum, rather than an official history of the museum' foundation. The Fine Arts Academy in Istanbul has been very influential in the art world since the early Republican period, as being the only educational institution. Meanwhile its museum was the only institution for the display of art works. Its narrative shaped by nation states discourse has structured the official narrative of Turkish art history. The conjunctures of Turkey have changed, but the museum continued the same practice for years and this aroused severe criticisms during the 1970s. Additionally, the Academy's attempt to legitimize its power through its museum was criticized. In this conjuncture, the art world in Ankara, which gradually was creating a sui-generis cultural identity, started to produce artworks reflecting their counter memory. Their demand, on the one hand, was to make their works visible in the art world, centered in Istanbul. But on the other hand, they also aim to construct an alternative art history, which represents the art works aroused from the counter memory of their invisible art world. The Museum in Ankara has founded as a contestation zone for a struggle for power over history of art. Nevertheless, it has turned up as a replica of the museum in Istanbul with its narrative, collection and categorization. In the museum the limitations of official art history were clearly observed and the artists in Ankara were allowed only to a certain degree. Collective memory, as a spectacle for unification, destroyed the counter-memory and was infected with its sameness. In this context, we have done a literature review for an understanding of the dynamics of the period; particularly Ankara Sanat Journal, which has publications for this matter, was thoroughly scanned; we have benefited from the documents containing issues out-of-official history.
Cilt	31

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Özyeğin University

The unheard of history of Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum

Author Köksal, Ayşe Hazar

Publication Date 2014

Publication Place - Hacettepe University

Subject Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum, Social memory, Counter memory, Art history, Cultural policies, The Museum of Painting and Sculpture in Ankara, Collective memory, Counter memory, Art history, Cultural policy

Type Periodical

Language Turkish

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Library Özyeğin University

Library Asset ID 1301-5737

Record ID 727c0400-9599-4f2a-98b2-535458b20fce

Library Location Industrial Design

Date 2014

Sample Text Throughout history, social memory and counter-memory have been in struggle with each other. History, reconstructed according to the narratives of different power and knowledge relations, draws the boundaries of social memory, that is, what a society will remember and forget. In this process, art museums, through the objects they make visible, both legitimize this official history and mediate history's creation of a common social memory. However, the pluralistic social structure continues to create an other history nourished by different social contexts, practices and histories. Despite the limits of social memory, those who share a silent and invisible common past begin to create a counter-memory over time. This situation brings about a search for a new historical narrative that will include counter-memory. The museum becomes one of the most effective mediators of this power struggle through social and counter-memory. This article aims to convey the efforts of Ankara artists in the 1970s to create an art history narrative fed by their counter-memories and to legitimize it by establishing their own art museums. When the Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum was established in 1980, the contribution of this struggle was significant. In this context, the article aims to explain the silent dynamics behind the establishment of the museum and therefore the unheard history of the institution, rather than the official institutional history of the Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum. The Academy of Fine Arts, which was active in the art world during the early Republic period, became the most important institution that determined the boundaries of the art history narrative in Turkey through the Painting and Sculpture Museum established under it. In the museum, the Academy's art history writing based on the nation-state narrative became visible and this narrative created the social art memory. Despite the constantly changing Turkish conjuncture, the museum's continued use of the same practice began to be criticized in the 1970s. These criticisms are also aimed at the Academy's effort to re-establish its legitimacy through the museum in the diversifying art environment. In the same period, the art scene in Ankara began to create an identity based on being from Ankara, and productions nourished by this cultural identity began to emerge. This process has increased the demands for a museum and art history that will make visible the works created by the counter-memories of Ankara artists. The issue is an effort to build an alternative narrative to the art history writing and its display style in the museum, which has not changed since the Early Republic period. Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum was established as a space for this power struggle of Ankara artists over the history of art. However, ultimately, the Ankara Museum created a similar model to the Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum with its collection, exhibition and classification, and a museum emerged where Ankara artists were allowed to be visible to a certain extent and the boundaries of official art history were felt. Social memory, as a unifying spectacle, has destroyed the counter-memory and infected it with self-similarity. In this context, the articles published in Ankara Art Magazine, which published effective publications on the establishment of a museum at that time, were scanned, the conjuncture of the period was understood through other publications about the period, and the available documents were used to clarify some issues outside the official history of the museum., Collective and counter memory is constantly in conflict throughout history. History is reconstructed in different narratives of power and knowledge relations. Accordingly, this narrative delineates social memory; What society remembers and forgets. In this context, the art museum legitimizes the official history through the objects rendered visible. It also offers a space for collective memory construction based on the official history. Meanwhile, the pluralist structure of society continues to invent other histories of diverse social frameworks, relationships and pasts. Despite the limits of collective memory, people, who silently and invisibly share a common past, establish a counter-memory. Accordingly, a search for an inclusive history for the counter-memory begins. The museum acts as a mediator in the struggle for power between collective and counter-memory. The article aims to describe challenges of artists from Ankara to invent an alternative history of art based on their counter-memory via an art museum in Ankara. The Museum of Painting and Sculpture in Ankara has been founded in 1980 as a result of this struggle. In this context, the article intends to reveal the silent dynamics and the unheard history of the museum, rather than an official history of the museum' foundation. The Fine Arts Academy in Istanbul has been very influential in the art world since the early Republican period, as being the only educational institution. Meanwhile its museum was the only institution for the display of art works. Its narrative shaped by nation states discourse has structured the official narrative of Turkish art history. The conjunctures of Turkey have changed, but the museum continued the same practice for years and this aroused severe criticisms during the 1970s. Additionally, the Academy's attempt to legitimize its power through its museum was criticized. In this conjuncture, the art world in Ankara, which gradually was creating a sui-generis cultural identity, started to produce artworks reflecting their counter memory. Their demand, on the one hand, was to make their works visible in the art world, centered in Istanbul. But on the other hand, they also aim to construct an alternative art history, which represents the art works aroused from the counter memory of their invisible art world. The Museum in Ankara has founded as a contestation zone for a struggle for power over history of art. Nevertheless, it has turned up as a replica of the museum in Istanbul with its narrative, collection and categorization. In the museum the limitations of official art history were clearly observed and the artists in Ankara were allowed only to a certain degree. Collective memory, as a spectacle for unification, destroyed the counter-memory and was infected with its sameness. In this context, we have done a literature review for an understanding of the dynamics of the period; particularly Ankara Sanat Journal, which has publications for this matter, was thoroughly scanned; we have benefited from the documents containing issues out-of-official history.

Cilt 31