KUBAPARIS ATELIER Göksu Kunak

KUBAPARIS ATELIER presents artists and their ateliers from all over the globe. This time you will get a glimpse into the world of artist and writer Göksu Kunak.

Age: 37

Education: BA Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, MA History of Art

Current location: Berlin

A work of yours that you particularly like and why?
The performance and installation CLICHE as a part of CARPARK Berlin curated by. Savannah Jade Thümler, Marenka Krasomil, Vicky Kouvaraki. It was the first piece that I worked with performers. I got super sick and the earthquake in Turkey, Kurdistan and Syria happened. I couldn’t rehearse at all (I had two other performances in the same month and the period that I was sick in bed was supposed to be for rehearsals). Then understandably, the main performer who grew up in Turkey cancelled due to the devastation she was feeling about the earthquake. So, there were 6 days to the performance and I had NO THING—I had some parts ready as the readymades but the main part of the piece was blank. Normally in such a situation I would have freaked out but thinking about all the people who lost their loved ones—including beloved friends of mine—and all the people still under the rubbles I was like GET A GRIP. No one is dying and in the worst case this will be a big failure but you’re healthy and safe and your loved ones as well.
Then I called Nomi Sladko that I only met a couple of days before and invited her to perform—she never performed before but I loved her energy. I asked Robin who had a small part to be one of the main performers. I was already doing my research, creating images in my head. I prepared the scores with certain tableau vivant and various scenes. We had very few rehearsals and it was a BLAST. So much fun. Curators Savannah, Marenka, Vicky were the ones who really believed in me and didn’t question at all, although not really knowing what was about to happen.
It was the first time that I completely let the control in a controlled way; working with art historical elements and really daring to implement certain imagery and really PLAY.

What is your favorite part of your job?
Sharing stories, indulging in politics through work and shapeshifting in it. Releasing what’s supposed to be a taboo, or creating a space for demonstrating against suppression.
I meet with amazing people through my work. I don’t only mention the art bubble. Moreover, people who are interested in arts but doesn’t have much connection to it in the way we have. Art literally made me grow politically. Growing up as Muslim, and Turkish nationalist, some Kurdish, or Armenian, or leftist Turkish artists helped me to rethink what had been told to me. Inevitably my Master professor Doc. Dr. Zeynep Yasa Yaman who taught us decolonial-deimperialist art canon/Middle Eastern art canon within the criticism of the Western art canon, years ago like in 2010. And my dance teacher Binnaz Dorkip who advised me to go to art history. My dad… A Muslim macho man but also he taught me to believe in myself, and still so much of my power comes from his empowerment that he gave to me, although not being a feminist himself at all… Without knowing, because he didn’t want me to feel bad in this imbalanced world, he made me a feminist—sadly also being a bad example himself.

What makes something worth making?
Being alive.

From which artist would you like to own a work?
Jacolby Satterwhite, Matthew Barney and Gülsün Karamustafa, Daniel Lie.

Which art movement has inspired you the most so far?
Viennese expressionism (It just popped up, I’ve never thought I’d say that.)
Surrealism
Hollywood action movies
Realistic paintings of 70s in Turkey
Futurism
Science fiction
Arabesk music genre from Turkey
Turkish rap
Testo Junkie
Bimbofication
Bodybuilding

Website: guccichunk.berta.me
Instagram: @goeksu_kunak
Photography credit: @spyressence
Video Credit: @synthtati
Performance with:@andres.sanjuan
© 2023 Göksu Kunak

CONCEPT, TEXT, INSTALLATION Göksu Kunak PERFORMANCE Göksu Kunak with May 11 @frznte // May 12 Solo // May 13 @andres.sanjuan // May 14 @tischa_thetigress DRAMATURGY @spurious.correlation SOUND @studio.labour COSTUME @nagigianninnaigigan and Göksu Kunak LIGHT DESIGN @annegret.schalke PRODUCER Florian Greß

A production by Göksu Kunak in co-production with SOPHIENSÆLE. @sophiensaele Funded by the Hauptstadtkulturfonds. The research phase was supported by @freischwimmen.netz as part of the program “Verbindungen fördern”, funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media through the program of the Bundesverband Freie Darstellende Künste e.V. Media partners: @kingkongmagazine @taz.die_tageszeitung