Material: Body

Contemporary Art and Ecological Explorations (Production Workshop for Artists)

“Material: Body”

Facilitator: Merve Morkoç

Date: October 20 – 23, 2025

Time: 19:00 – 21:00

The body, through its dual position as both subject and object within interdisciplinary relationships, is one of the most intense and direct tools of expression in artistic practice. It lies at the intersection of political, cultural, and ecological dynamics, and beyond being an individual entity, it carries the potential to become a critical field of action in itself.

This workshop aims to reconsider how the human body ceases to be merely a tool for artistic execution and becomes art itself, through theoretical approaches and experimental exercises. Participants are invited to explore the body’s possibilities and boundaries, to reexamine their own relationship with their bodies, and to reconsider its place within their artistic practice.

Merve Morkoç brings together video, performance, and installation in her interdisciplinary practice, placing experimentation at its core. Genders, bodies, and images detached from identities and functions shaped by social norms are consciously deformed, opening up the potential for a free, fluid, and vibrant subjectivity. While questioning the dominance imposed on the body and sexual identity, Morkoç dissects dogmatic definitions through diverse media and materials, reconstructing images liberated from imposed categorizations.

* This workshop is intended for participants who work with the concept of the body or plan to initiate research and production in this field. Regular attendance is expected throughout the program. Participation is free of charge and limited to 15 people.

* To join the program, please fill out the pre-registration form via the “Register” button on the page. Registration will open one week before the first session (October 13, 2025, 19:00) and the “Register” button will become accessible on this date. During the pre-registration phase, you are expected to write a minimum 40-word statement describing your artistic practice, the materials you work with, your relationship with nature and the body, and your motivation for participating in the workshop. Applications will be evaluated and selected participants will receive event invitations via email.

Workshop Schedule

- Monday, October 20, 2025 / 19:00 - 21:00 / On Production and Material (Online)

In this session, the artist will share her production practices and processes of engaging with the body as material. Discussions will focus on the role of bodily experience in artistic creation, exploring examples of materiality, limits, and sensory potential.

- Tuesday, October 21, 2025 / 19:00 - 21:00 / Concepts and Production Process for Participants (Online)

Participants will give short presentations on how they position the body within their artistic practices. Each participant will share their conceptual focus and research direction, opening a collective discussion on the meanings the body carries in contemporary art.

- Wednesday, October 22, 2025 / 19:00 - 21:00 / Potentials of the Material (Online)

This session will explore the body’s potential as a field of expression. Through concepts such as performative action, representation, fragility, and boundary experience, participants will collectively reflect on the possibilities of body-based production.

- Thursday, October 23, 2025 / 19:00 - 21:00 / On Exhibition Practices (Online)

Based on the ideas and works developed throughout the workshop, this session will focus on the exhibition and sharing methods of body-oriented works. Participants will present their experiences and discuss diverse forms of presentation and display.