Haluk Akakçe
Encyclopedia
Haluk Akakçe is a contemporary art
ist living and working in New York
and Istanbul whose work explores the intersections between society and technology through video animation
s, wall paintings and sound installation
s. He trained in architecture at Bilkent University
, Ankara, then graduated with an MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Akakçe's work has appeared in the Istanbul
and San Paulo Biennials, the New Museum of Contemporary Art
in New York and the Walker Art Center
. Among his numerous solo shows, Akakçe has exhibited at the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in New York and the Berlin
KunstWerke. He was shortlisted for the Beck's Futures
award at the Institute of Contemporary Arts
in London in 2004.
In November 2006, Haluk Akakçe's The Sky is the Limit animated the 12.5 million LED
s of the enormous Viva Vision canopy on Fremont Street
in downtown Las Vegas
, a public art project in collaboration with Creative Time
, the City of Las Vegas Arts Commission and the Fremont Street Experience
. At 8 p.m. each evening that month, the entire street was plunged into darkness before Akakçe's animation began to trickle across the LED surface, gradually turning the canopy into a cascade of abstractions and colors.
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
ist living and working in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Istanbul whose work explores the intersections between society and technology through video animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
s, wall paintings and sound installation
Sound installation
Sound installation is an intermedia and time based art form. It is an expansion of an art installation in the sense that it includes the sound element and therefore the time element...
s. He trained in architecture at Bilkent University
Bilkent University
İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University, commonly referred to as Bilkent University or Bilkent, is the first private, nonprofit university in Turkey with the fundamental aim of creating a center of excellence in higher education and research...
, Ankara, then graduated with an MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Akakçe's work has appeared in the Istanbul
Istanbul Biennial
The International Istanbul Biennial is a contemporary art exhibition, held every two years in Istanbul, Turkey, since 1987. The biennial is organised by the İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. The Biennial aims to create a meeting point in İstanbul in the field of visual arts between artists...
and San Paulo Biennials, the New Museum of Contemporary Art
New Museum of Contemporary Art
The New Museum, founded in 1977 by Marcia Tucker, is the only museum in New York City exclusively devoted to presenting contemporary art from around the world...
in New York and the Walker Art Center
Walker Art Center
The Walker Art Center is a contemporary art center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is considered one of the nation's "big five" museums for modern art along with the Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum and the Hirshhorn...
. Among his numerous solo shows, Akakçe has exhibited at the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in New York and the Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
KunstWerke. He was shortlisted for the Beck's Futures
Beck's Futures
Beck's Futures was a British art prize founded by London's Institute of Contemporary Arts and sponsored by Beck's beer given to contemporary artists....
award at the Institute of Contemporary Arts
Institute of Contemporary Arts
The Institute of Contemporary Arts is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. It is located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch...
in London in 2004.
In November 2006, Haluk Akakçe's The Sky is the Limit animated the 12.5 million LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
s of the enormous Viva Vision canopy on Fremont Street
Fremont Street
Fremont Street is a street in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is the second most famous street in the Las Vegas metropolitan area after the Las Vegas Strip...
in downtown Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, a public art project in collaboration with Creative Time
Creative Time
Creative Time is a New York-based nonprofit arts organization. It was founded in 1973 to support the creation of innovative, site-specific, socially engaged works in the public realm, especially in vacant spaces of historical and architectural interest...
, the City of Las Vegas Arts Commission and the Fremont Street Experience
Fremont Street Experience
The Fremont Street Experience is a pedestrian mall and attraction in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The FSE occupies the westernmost 5 blocks of Fremont Street, including the area known for years as "Glitter Gulch," and portions of some other adjacent streets.The attraction is a barrel vault canopy,...
. At 8 p.m. each evening that month, the entire street was plunged into darkness before Akakçe's animation began to trickle across the LED surface, gradually turning the canopy into a cascade of abstractions and colors.