Halfway Here
April 2026 - April 2027
ISTANBUL
In Istanbul, light and sound function as tools for visibility in public spaces, while silence and darkness are often perceived as a lack or a threat. The works the artist plans to develop within the scope of this project are nourished by Istanbul's dense layers of sound, artificial lights, and constantly transforming structure. The artist aims to develop new productions by incorporating experiments with recorded sounds and different forms of light into her kinetic installation practice using found objects.
Aka's practice focuses on details that go unnoticed amidst the chaos of daily life in Istanbul. The city's continuous state of construction, increasingly difficult living conditions, and constantly distracted attention form the backdrop of his works. The artist is interested in the ability of found and everyday objects to convey meaning and emotion, as they are like living beings with their own experiences and memories, having been exposed to countless interactions.
Throughout the process, discarded and ordinary objects are collected and incorporated into new arrangements, transforming them into unstable, chaotic structures. Micro-sounds encountered in the city are recorded and, like objects, are processed through various stages to become part of the installations. Light is not only an element that illuminates the works; it also forms a main layer in the works in different ways, such as reflection, shadow, and image creation. Experiments are developed on structures where light and sound work together, establishing relationships where movement triggers sound and sound triggers light. In these structures, the correlation between light and sound is investigated through the idea that sound becomes a visible element and light becomes an audible one.
The project will produce a series of twelve installations. These productions are intended to be shared in a solo exhibition planned for 2027. Among the works to be developed within this scope will be a new version of the installation previously produced and giving the exhibition its name, "Halfway Here." The project process is based on a structure where research and production are intertwined.
A. Serkan Aka
A. Serkan Aka (1982, Isparta) is an artist based in Istanbul who works in the fields of illustration, installation, and performance. A graduate of Boğaziçi University's Department of Industrial Engineering, Aka creates sculptures, instruments, and installations by constructing flawed and difficult-to-control mechanisms from everyday and found objects. Sounds, which he uses as a tool for attention, awareness, and remembrance, are both his guide and the main output of his work.
Using his own instruments and sound systems, he has participated in various performances with the Tophane Noise Band, of which he is a member. Following his first solo exhibition, *In the Air*, he participated in the group exhibition *A Polyphonic Garden* (Curator: Eda Yiğit, Istanbul, 2024); after participating in a residency program in February 2025, he opened the exhibition *Somewhere Around Here* at the Moussem Nomadic Arts Center in Brussels, curated by Amira Arzık. His latest solo exhibition, *Hanging Now*, opened at Kıraathane İstanbul Literature House in May 2025. In recent months, he has exhibited his work through the 0090 Platform at the transdisciplinary festivals *The Image Generator* in Antwerp and *Beyond the Black Box* in Amsterdam, at De Brakke Grond.
Connections:
www.serkanaka.com (under construction)
https://www.instagram.com/aserkanaka/