European Cultural Exchange of Artists

The following news story on the new roles of artists comes from the Hurriyet Daily news.  The `My City`project, a project supported by the EC begins in Istanbul on Friday, giving Turkish artists the chance to create art in various cities in Turkey and for Turkish artists to work in various European cities.  This is sort of an artists exchange program which will benefit the artists and the viewer and audience of the artists finished work.

Underlining the role of artists in civil society

“My City,” a project supported by the European Commission as part of its “Civil Society Dialogue: Cultural Bridges” program, opened in Istanbul on Friday.

Implemented by the British Council and supported by the Garanti Culture Center, the project will make it possible for five European artists to create artwork in the Turkish cities of Istanbul, Çanakkale, Konya, Trabzon and Mardin. The program will also enable six Turkish artists to work in European cities Berlin, Dortmund, London, Helsinki, Vienna and Warsaw.
Speaking at a reception to introduce the project, Turkish State Minister and chief EU negotiator Egemen Bağış said the “My City” project, which he views as crucial, was initiated with British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband.

“The civil-society dialogue, one of the three legs of negotiations with the EU, continues with nongovernmental organizations. The role of artists is vital to a civil-society dialogue. Those countries with developed art scenes are also those with developed democracies and economies,” Bağış noted.

Mentioning that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan supports related projects, Bağış said that six days before Turkey’s EU-accession negotiations began on Dec. 14, 2004, Turkey opened the Istanbul Modern. Whenever Turkish officials travel to Europe, they are asked about the venue, he said.

“Art is an important concept for Turkey’s promotion in Europe and the rest of the world,” Bağış said. Artists from Turkey and Europe will display the results of the project in September 2010.

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