Goran Turnšek
In my work I use multiple media to express ideas, including photography, performance, video and photo book. In my work I show how our past is being nullified, changed or manipulated. Mentioned media are the solution for me to live up to these artistic principles. As an artist, I therefore empty our transient world as evidence for others who could not be witnesses to this process.
The person or objects portrayed in space are representation of artistic and conceptual view that is related to the concept of identity. Foundations for exploring the conceptual starting point that involve the concept of identity come from different personal situations. Exploration of national identity has to do with being born in former Yugoslavia, the country that no longer exists. In Yugoslavia we maintained national identity for decades with existing symbols, songs, ideals and heroes. A hundred years of history were destroyed in one day after the fall of failed political system. Only then I realized how artificial national identity can be. As a former dancer, job that I can’t practice any longer, I like to examine corporate identity. What people do in daily life’s I use as an starting point to create a project. Last but not least is sexual identity, the gender. I crawl into the role of both sexes so that the roles of a man and a woman are no longer distinguished. That raises a certain confusion, because the presentation of gender is not limited to accepted norms of our society.
After my dance career, I searched for ways to preserve my trained dance body. Body therefore has an important position in all my work. I investigate how the body is used in our society, but also how the body stores our past and collective memory. For example, I show how a traumatic experience is stored in the body as a memory in for example brain, weasels such as muscles. Due to dance experience I use the space for the camera just like in the theater. The use of dance elements in space is the most important artistic principle in my work. For me, the space in front of the camera offers an opportunity to create my own vision. My work therefore has theatrical and sometimes cinematic elements.
Goran Turnšek (1978) was born in Ptuj in former Yugoslavia, now Slovenia. He studied modern dance at Academy of Theater and Dance in Amsterdam and photography at the Fotocademie Amsterdam. As a dancer he collaborated with Krisztina de Châtel, Marina Abramović, Nicole Beutler, Piet Rogie, Paul Selwyn Norton, Bruno Listopad and Uri Ivgi. After the dance career he developed an interest in the relationship between performance and photography. In 2015 he graduated with the photo project ‘Jakob’ which was supervised by Nicole Segers and Ellen Sanders. His work has been published in the British Journal of Photography, Volkskrant magazine, Fotodigi and Photocaptionist, among others.
EDUCATION
2012-2015 | Fotoacademie, Amsterdam
2001-2004 | Communication and design management, University Rotterdam
1996-2000 | Academy of Theater and Dance, Amsterdam
EXHIBITION
2021 | Vanishing memories, solo exhibition, Mihelič gallery, Ptuj
2019 | Iets met ruimte, group exhibition, Kunstlievend Genootschap Pictura, Groningen
2019 | Second stage, solo exhibition, Fotoacademie, Amsterdam
2018 | Iets met ruimte, group exhibition, Kunsthal 45, Den Helder
2018 | Fotoroute, group exhibition, Windkracht 13, Den Helder
2017 | Second stage, solo exhibition, Podium Mozaiëk, Amsterdam
2017 | Dansfoto van het Jaar 2016, Theater Korzo, Den Haag
2016 | Vulnerable, group exhibition, Kadmium, Delft
2016 | Hidden Systems, presentation, Bookstore space, Amsterdam
2016 | Second stage, solo exhibition, Here we live and now, Den Haag
2016 | Second stage, solo exhibition, Festival de Nederlandse Dansdagen, Maastricht
2015 | GUP, group exhibition, Art’otel, Amsterdam
2015 | AIM, graduate exhibition, Loods 6, Amsterdam
2011 | Ephemeral conversations, solo exhibition, Theater Kikker
2010 | 1111 km translation, group exhibition, WEP, Groningen
2008 | Up Close & Personal, group exhibition, Walls gallery, Amsterdam
2008 | Mic Mac Trouble, group exhibition, Ayacs gallery, Amsterdam
PUBLICATIONS
2018 | Qualis Magazine, Spring 1018, jaargang 16, Nummer 1
2017 | Dans, Second Stage, No 1., January 2017
2017 | PF, Op zoek naar een leven na het dans, 18 January
2017 | Dansfotokalender 2017
2016 | New Dawn Paper, Second stage, 13 – 22 September
2016 | Tijdschrift Ei, ‘Bij de lurven’, 6 September
2016 | De Volkskrant, Smaak, ‘Danser Goran Turnšek is nu fotograf’, 20 February
2016 | SO, Dutch Professional Photographers 2016
2016 | New Photo, Dutch Photography Talent 2016
2016 | De grote Amsterdamse Kunstkalender
2015 | My Amsterdam your home
2015 | British Journal of Photography, ‘The portraiture issue’, December Issue
2015 | Photocaptionist, ‘Strange and Unfamiliar Once Again: Sophie Wright on Unseen’, 2015, Amsterdam
2015 | Fotodigi, ‘Fotograferen als choreograaf’ by Petere Runnaar, , Editie 3
2015 | New Dawn paper, Jakob, 4 July
2014 | ELLE Decorations, (No.116), China
2014 | Harper’s BAZAAR, There’s No Formula for Great Design, October Issue in CHINA
GRANDS
2019 | BIFA, bronze winner for the photos serie ‘Mrs. Slana’
2017 | Vienna Photo Book Award, shortlisted
2016 |Grand from The Amsterdam Fund for the Arts
2015 | SO 2015, Amsterdam, shortlisted
2015 | Unseen Dummy Award, Amsterdam, shortlisted
2015 | Cum Laude for graduation project Jakob
2014 | Honorable Mention in a Fine Art – Portrait Category, IPA, Los Angeles
2013 | Honorable Mention in Editorial – Personality Category, IPA, Los Angeles
2012 | Fotogram trofee, nominated, Amsterdam
2009 |Grand from The Amsterdam Fund for the Arts
2000 | The Phillip Morris Scholarship, Amsterdam
ART FAIRS & FESTIVALS
2018 | Mopla – Month of Photography, Photo Book Exhibition, Los Angeles
2017 | This Art Fair, Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam
2017 | Rotterdam Photo Festival, Rotterdam
2017 | Vienna Photo Book Festival, Vienna
2017 | Fotofestival Naarden, Naarden
2016 | Vienna Photo Book Festival, Vienna
2015 | Unseen Photo Book Festival, Amsterdam
2015 | Amsterdam Int’l Art Fair, Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam
2009 | Tjedan suvremenog plesa, Zagreb/Rijeka
2007 | Dance Umbrella Festival, London
2006 | Julidans, Amsterdam
COMMITIONED
2020 | Beautiful Mess
2020 | Mondmasker Fabriek
2015 | NB Projects, We live here Academie, Amsterdam
2015 | Why Not Festival, Amsterdam
2014 | Theater Narrenschiff, for performance Solo soli, Germany
2014 | National ballet Academy, Amsterdam
2013 | Why Not Festival, Amsterdam
2013 | Galerie Ra & Coda Museum, Dear To Wear
CHOREOGRAPHY
2019 | Minka, Kunstlievend Genootschap Pictura, Groningen
2012 | Printer, Amsterdam Grafisch Ateliers, Open Ateliers Jordaan
2010 | Waterbeest, Juni Kunstmaand, Amsterdam
2010 | Črni gibi, SNG Marbor
2009 | I forgive you, Random Collision, Groningen
2009 | Being Blanka, Dnevi suvremenog plesa, Croatia
2009 | Het Beest in Mij, 2KUSTEN, Kunst&Cultuur Noord-Holland
2008 | Being Blanka, ‘Odd/Man’ program, Dansateliers, Rotterdam
2001 | Lost, Dansateliers & Theater Lantaren/Venster, Rotterdam
2003 | In&Out, Its Festival, Amsterdam
DANCE PERFORMANCES
2012- 2014 | Nicole Beutler Projects, Amsterdam
2008 -2011 | Giulia Mureddu, (Amore e Merda), Amsterdam
2004- 2008 | Dansgroep Krisztina de Châtel, (Zooi, Föld, Imperium, Tando, Amsterdam
2001- 2003 | Rogie&Company, Rotterdam
2003 | Paul Selwyn Norton, Korzo theater, Den Haag
2003 | Uri Ivgi, DWA, Amsterdam
VIDEOS
2009 | Guard, VideoDanzaBA, Argentina
2009 | Descending Soul, Sguardi Altrove Film Festival, Italy
2008 | DanceON, video workshop with Mediamatic, Rialto, Amsterdam
2003 | Tragic Torso, with Rogie&Company and NPS