Roundtable Discussion /
Hakan Topal (xurban_collective)

Date: Tuesday, 26 May 2009, 7–9 pm
Location: Cabinet, 300 Nevins Street, Brooklyn (map and directions here)
FREE. No RSVP necessary
Organized by Arte East

In this roundtable discussion, artist Hakan Topal will present the work of the artist collective xurban, including their current research on the idea of neighborhood and local community in relation to post-industrial cities in various part of Europe. The presentation will form the basis for an active discussion of the subjects addressed by xurban, including regional conflicts, military spatial confinement, urban segregation, and “neo-liberal” exclusion strategies.

About the Participants
Functioning as an international collective since 2000, xurban_collective has members located in Izmir, Istanbul, Linz, and New York City. Core members of the group are Guven Incirlioglu and Hakan Topal, whose transatlantic collaborations take the form of media projects and installations. The group’s approach involves questioning, examining, and discussing contemporary politics, theory, and ideology. They often combine large-format photography, 3D visualization, digital imaging, video, and text in an effort to render visible the multiplicity of informative layers inherent in the subjects or situations explored. Xurban_collective has exhibited internationally, including projects at the 49th Venice Biennial (2001), the 8th International Istanbul Biennial (2003), PS1/MoMA (2005), Apexart (2004), Exitart (2005) and ZKM – Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe (2005).