Entering a very small place like Edisyon, one needs to stop and think before examining the artwork. There are lots of prints and photographs on the walls, which makes it possible to spend about two hours discovering new artists, new art disciplines and so much more.
Yetkin Başarır and Çağlar Kanzık, two artistically active people have day jobs, but they decided to open a place like Edisyon just for the delight and love of art.
According to them, art is not a whimsical need of society. They think through art, society can develop and ameliorate.
“This project of ours comes out of needs and problems in the art scene of Turkey,” said Başarır, noting that opening a place like Edisyon was not just about pursuing a “new business” model but was about making important contributions for art and artists.
“We have many friends who are constantly dealing with art and have artistic needs and do creative work,” said Kanzık.
“We have concerns and considerations in life. In this space, we aim for the artist or the creator of the works to be able to exhibit their pieces freely,” he said.
Başarır and Kanzık prefer to call the artists as contributors. “Because this place is not only ours, we are sharing the Edisyon with the contributors,” said Kanzık.
It is a fact that in Turkey that there is not a proper medium between art galleries and large art museums or foundations. That’s why Edisyon, existing as a free space for art, has an important mission.
“Lots of artists do not have the chance to be seen or discovered in Turkey because of the hardships in the art scene. Lots of good works are not seen or discovered in Turkey. Artists in Edisyon are creating those art prices solely for the sake of art,” said Kanzık.
At Edisyon, it is possible to discover new artists or new pieces of old artists or new techniques. The place is just like an art library, said Başarır, adding that it was possible to discover new things by seeing new art pieces.
Contributors in Edisyon are independent artists and create their pieces without having any connections with art galleries.
“There are no curators at Edisyon. We think that the works of contributors are very valuable,” Başırır said.
The contributors of Edisyon are creating art without waiting for any reciprocity, according to Kazık and Başarır.
“Those people are pursuing their art because they believe in it,” said Başarır.
Unlike art galleries, Edisyon expects artists neither to have had exhibition experience nor to be popular in the market before showing at the location.
“We do not want to become a medium like an art gallery. Whereas art galleries have economic or financial considerations and are looking for experienced artists to sell the pieces, Edisyon stays away from this perception,” said Başarır.
“For us the identity of the artist is not important,” said Başırır. “What we search is the good work.”
Each artist has a world and those people live in this world and try to reflect this world to their art, he said.
“We are trying to understand this world and give a value to it,” he said. While galleries are trying to appraise a value for the art works, Edisyon is trying to discover the value in the artworks without pursuing the artists’ names but only the value of their work.
An unseen model for all artists and art lovers
In Edsiyon the artists’ works’ quality and value are not bound up with the tastes and choices of the fabulously wealthy.
Başarır and Kanzık are not selling the art pieces for very expensive prices. With the model that they have created for Edisyon, which they worked on every night for four months, they have brought a new perception for people who would love to buy art.
The location is designed to give inspiration, said Başarır. “It is the place to feel that you are not alone. We want to share images like these that are not behind computer screens.”
Başarır and Kanzık not only provide a pace for art but also support artists with other aspects. They also do the extra prints and provide frames for the works of art.
Every print, illustration or photograph is at the same proportion and each work’s first edition costs 100 Turkish Liras. This is a model that Kanzık and Başarır created by themselves.
As the editions increases, the cost of the photography, prints, paintings, design objects also increases.
“We only take the first edition’s cost, which is 100 liras, said Kanzık. “The last edition’s cost always goes to the artist.”
All the cost of production is supported by Edisyon. The incentive of the art work’s cost depends on artist. “We wanted to be fair both to the buyers and the artists,” said Başarır.
It has been one moth since Edisyon opened. “A total of 40 first editions of a total of have been sold,” said Başarır.
Kanzık and Başarır are always thinking about their next step. “We are planning to create booklets of the contributors to Edisyon,” said Başarır.
“We would like to make a booklet explaining the artist. No one is doing it right now in Turkey. However, we need more information about the artworks and the artists. That’s why we have such a plan,” he said.
Both Kanzık and Başarır aim to develop Edisyon in the coming months, while contributing to Turkey’s art scene.