Nasan Tur

Nasan Tur (b. 1974, Offenbach) works in an intermediate area between the public and the gallery space, drawing his material from messages and tensions he finds in the urban environment. His works comment on the conflicts and failures of ideologies either directly or indirectly. While suggesting that we must rise against repression and to struggle for fundamental democratic rights, such as freedom of the speech, he also admits the risk that resistance can turn into violence, which expands the scope of his work to cover also the ethic dimension of both individuals and community action. The overarching theme of his artistic work embraces all social struggle and the question of its justification. Nevertheless, Tur also examines the individual’s experience: personal risk taking and opening oneself to ridicule. Yet the boldness to put oneself at risk, the ability to laugh at oneself, the tenacity to try again and again, and the ability to endure failure, these are all necessary if we want to defend important values in the society.

​A key medium of Tur’s art is his own body, which he sometimes pushes to extremes, such as when he tries to break different world records or when making performative works in public spaces. In spite of their political and social tenor, his works are often humorous, astounding and sometimes shocking. Tur examines people’s activities and politics in an occasionally bemused and sometimes sorrowful way. He uses any media that suits his theme.

​Tur participated at documenta14, at the 10. Istanbul Biennale and at the 6. Taipei Biennale and exhibited in numerous institutions like Palais de Tokyo, Centre Pompidou Paris, Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, Hamburger Bahnhof Berlin, Städel Museum Frankfurt, Maxxi Museum Rome. In 2012 he was awarded the Will Grohmann Prize of the Academy of Arts, Berlin and 2014 the Villa Massimo Prize of the Deutsche Akademie Rom.

​Nasan Tur currently holds a professorship at the post-graduate program Spacial Strategies at Weißensee Academy of Art, Berlin.