16/12/2023 - 24/02/2024

Zilberman Dialogues
Memed Erdener & Eşref Yıldırım
16.12.2023 – 24.02.2024

Zilberman Dialogues is pleased to present a section of Memed Erdener and Eşref Yıldırım’s works in parallel with their respective solo shows that are on view at Zilberman I Berlin between December 14, 2023 and February 10, 2024. This special section, featuring the artists’ recent works is on display at the second floor of the Mısır Apartment between December 16, 2023 and February 24, 2024. 

In his solo show Namelessform, Memed Erdener creates a series of ideograms that unfold within the exhibition space through a distinct spatial design. These forms, devoid of names and identities, exist in silence. Erdener aims to forge an alternative language and a unique mode of expression through the utilization of symbols, ideograms, and image-based sentences, surpassing the confinements of conventional language. In artist’s own words “Namelessform is a silent subject. Despite being part of the landscape, it has no name. Since it has no name, it is not part of the reductive structure of language. It is lost, and therefore, it is free.” The exhibition is accompanied by an artist book including over 130 Namelessforms.

Eşref Yıldırım’s solo Show titled Dust and Mold, is closely conected with the artist’s own life experiences. Emphasizing the idea that the personal is political, the artist consistently regards his life within the context and under the pressures of the social hierarchies, assigned gender roles, rigid taboos, and unequal power relationships. In the works created for this exhibition, he documents his family’s history, early childhood memories and romantic relationships. The section at Zilberman Dialogues presents a series of work titled I Love Myself, produced between 2020-2022. These works mark the artist’s initial exploration of personal subjects and showcase the diverse range of mediums he employs.

Located within the historic Mısır Apartment in Istanbul, Zilberman Dialogues stands as an exhibition space dedicated to fostering a dynamic dialogue between the two gallery locations: Berlin and Istanbul. In collaboration with the ongoing exhibitions at Zilberman I Berlin situated at Schlüterstr. 45 in Charlottenburg, Zilberman Dialogues, highlights the interplay of diverse artistic perspectives, nurturing the cross-cultural artistic discourse between the two vibrant art scenes.

For further information, please contact yasemin@zilbermangallery.com

Memed Erdener (b. 1970, Istanbul) is a visual artist based in Istanbul. Among his solo shows are Namelessform (Zilberman | Berlin, 2023), Utopian Bureaucratic (Zilberman | Istanbul, 2021), Beauty of Bigotry (Zilberman | Berlin, 2017), I Only Did What I Was Told To Do (Zilberman | Istanbul, 2016), Mom I’m Going Out to Pour Some Concrete (with Antonio Cosentino, Studio-X, Istanbul, 2015), There is No God in the Sky Only Birds (Gallery NON, Istanbul, 2014), I Didn’t Do This, You Did  (Gallery NON, Istanbul, 2010). His group shows include Transit (Zilberman | Berlin, 2023), The Anarchistic Amateur’s Alphabet (< rotor > center for contemporary art, Graz, Austria, 2019), Istanbul Passion, Joy, Fury (The National Museum of XXI Century Arts, Rome, Italy, 2015), Black&White (Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, 2013; Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw, Poland, 2011), The 13th Biennial of Art: Pure Expression (Serbia, 2008) and 10th Istanbul Biennial (Istanbul, Turkey, 2007). Memed Erdener studied Graphic Design at the Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts in Istanbul. He published cartoons in satirical periodicals such as the weekly magazine Deli (chaos). In his earlier exhibitions, he appeared under his pseudonym Extramücadele (Extrastruggle). Memed was close to the artist group Hafriyat, which was founded in 1996 and broke away from Istanbul’s commercial art scene to create a forum for free social dialogue in a period of rapid change.

Eşref Yıldırım (b. 1978, Bursa) is a visual artist based in Istanbul. He studied at the Faculty of Painting at Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts in Istanbul. His solo shows include: Dust and Mold (Zilberman | Berlin, 2023), Night Residuals (curator: T. Melis Golar, Bilsart, 2022), Diary of Defeats (Zilberman | Istanbul, 2018), Prison for Minor Offenses (Zilberman | Istanbul, 2014), Salute! (Zilberman | Istanbul, 2014), and Nobody’s Death (Zilberman | Istanbul, 2012); group shows include: Ben Yazar Suat Derviş'im (Eda Yiğit, Avrupa Pasajı, 2022), Geçmişi Unutmak Yaldızlı Bir Yalan (curator: Deniz Özgültekin, Karşı Sanat Çalışmaları, 2022),  Karşı Pencere (curator: Melike Bayık, KOLİ Art Space, Istanbul, 2021), Apartman (curators: Lara Lakay & Tuba Kocakaya, Apartman No:52, Istanbul, 2021), Our Nature, Tapa artist residancy exhibition, Barın Han, Istanbul, 2020), Unlock (Zilberman | Istanbul, 2020), The Spirit of the Poet (curator: Jürgen Kaumkötter, Center for Persecuted Arts, Solingen, 2019), House of Wisdom (curator: Collective Çukurcuma, Bonington Gallery, Nottingham, 2018), Night: Collaborative Performance Proposal (Eski Datça Hotel, Datça, 2018), Confusion (organized by: Kopuntu, Milano Macao, Milano, 2017), House of Wisdom (curator: Collective Çukurcuma, Istanbul, Berlin, Amsterdam, 2017), Survival Kit (Istanbul, Yekatering, 2017), The Red Gaze (curator: A. Sh. Bruckstein, Zilberman | Berlin, 2016), Transparency of Evil or Looking to the Other (Kare Sanat, Istanbul, 2015), Prison for Minor Offenses (Sinopale 5, Sinop, 2014), Figure Out, (Dubai, UAE, 2012), In Between (İstanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture, MSGSÜ Tophane-i Amire Culture Center, Istanbul, 2010), Borders Orbits 6 (Siemens Art Space, Istanbul, 2009).

Exhibition Works