Biography
Köken Ergun’s films and installations often deal with the importance of rituals in communities that are not known to a greater public. As he researches his projects prior to filming, Ergun spends extended time with his subjects to immerse himself in their milieu. He also collaborates with ethnographers, historians and sociologists in publications and lecture series, which he views as extensions of his artistic practice.
Ergun’s solo exhibitions include Heroes, Art Space, Sydney (2018); Young Turks, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow (2016); WEDDING, Wilhelm Hack Museum, Ludwigshafen, Germany (2014); Crowds and Power, SALT, Ankara (2013); and Ashura, Protocinema, New York (2013). Among his group exhibitions are Çanakkale Biennial, Turkey (2020); Topos of Time, MMOMA, Moscow (2019); MyBody, Nest, The Hague (2019); Fairest of the Fair, Bellas Artes Projects, Manila (2019); Territories, Urbane Künste Ruhr, Essen, Germany (2019); Videobrasil, São Paolo (2015, 2017, 2019); documenta 14, Kassel (2017); Afterwork, Para Site, Hong Kong (2016); All Men Become Sisters, Museum Sztuki, Lodz, Poland (2015); Jakarta Biennial (2015); and Rainbow in the Dark, Malmö Konstmuseum, Sweden (2015).
He has received several awards and grants, including Special Mention, Berlinale Shorts (2013), and Tiger Short Award, International Film Festival Rotterdam (2007). He has also participated in a residency at Ashkal Alwan, Beirut (2007).
Ergun received his bachelor’s degree in acting from Istanbul University State Conservatory (1997). He also holds a PhD in ancient Greek literature from King’s College London (2000) and a master’s degree in art history from Istanbul Bilgi University (2005). He is currently a PhD candidate in performance studies and anthropology at the Freie Universität, Berlin.
Born in 1976 in Istanbul, he lives and works in Istanbul.
SAF participation:
Production Programme 2020