The interview with Merve Denizci

1. How did you hear about The School of Visual Arts (SVA) Summer Residency Program? Had you known that The Society offered funding for Turkish artists to participate in the program?

I always wanted to visit New York. I heard this program from a friend of mine by chance as “Moon and Stars Project” when I started to the Faculty of Fine Arts.

2. Tell us a little about your experience? How was the program? 

The program was including a rigorous work process than I have expected. I had to follow lectures, meet with the instructors and prepare the exhibition at the same time. It was a good opportunity to meet with other artists from different nations. Everyone looks at the world from a different perspective, and this program was the intersection of these views. Experiencing this diversity was very important to me as it is related to the title I worked on. New York is a terrific cosmopolitan place that does not belong to a single race or gender which brings a sense of equality. I am telling you all of these apart from economic life and the current political situation in New York.

3. How did the program and your time in New York City improve your artistic career?

First of all, instructors’ approach and the art environment in New York motivate you to work freely and make experiments. That enables you to work without thinking whether you work will be okay or not. This is very important because sometimes you stop making something after long hours of thinking. New York has a motivating atmosphere, thereby you start to understand how to control your production process.

4. What’s next for you?

I took the first step of my new project in New York. Now, I am working on the next steps and prepare for my next exhibition.