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Apricots from Damascus

Apricots from Damascus / Şam’da Kayısı is an ApexArt Curatorial Project, realized in Salt Galata in 2015, by Atıf Akın and Dilek Winchester. Following is their statement for the event…

“Apricots from Damascus is a publication and exhibition project about art in a state of mobility and exile, with a specific focus on İstanbul and current artist communities. Since the escalation of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, more than three million people have left their countries, with a majority fleeing to Turkey and Lebanon. The project focuses on a particular group of refugees who rely on their creative and intellectual abilities in the fields of art,writing, and music, to survive in their new environment: the city of İstanbul.

Apricots from Damascus engages publication as an artistic practice in an effort to connect through cultural commons, or the shared interdisciplinary knowledge acquired by varied communities. The first stage of the project involves commissioning artists to produce zines, which will be distributed in İstanbul’s public space through alternative means of distribution. Zines will be published in three languages: Arabic, Turkish, and English. These three languages are important to correlate the artists, issues and the audience of the project. The project culminates with an exhibition hosted by SALT, İstanbul, in December 2015, where the zines, artworks about the themes explored in the zines, and documentation of the project will be displayed…”