Cem A. is an artist with a background in anthropology. He is known for running the art meme page @freeze_magazine and for his performances and site-specific installations. His work explores topics such as survival and alienation in the art world, often through a hyper-reflexive lens and collaborative projects.
Cem A.’s selected solo exhibitions and installations include Louisiana Museum, Barbican Centre, Berlinische Galerie, and Museum Wiesbaden. His group exhibitions include documenta fifteen, Istanbul Modern, Mudam Luxembourg, Klima Biennale Vienna and 14. Biennial of Young Artists Museum of Contemporary Art Skopje. He has held lectures at Royal College of Art London, Central Saint Martins, HEAD Geneva, HDK Valand and Universität der Künste Berlin.
Interview with Ben Davis, Artnet, January 2024
Interview with Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTNews, July 2023
Works
Solo Exhibitions and Installations
Joseph Beuys Says…, Museum Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden, 2024 (ongoing)
I Like Art Market and Art Market Likes Me, Project Art Distribution, New York, 2023
Thank You for Your Understanding, Berlinische Galerie, Berlin, 2023
Theory is My Friend, Louisiana Museum, Humlebæk, 2023
Tack!, Parse Journal, HDK Valand, Gothenburg, 2023
Pleased to announce…, Versus Art Project, Istanbul, 2022
Hope You See Me As a Friend, Barbican Centre, London, 2022
The Party, Weserhalle, Berlin, 2021
Selected Group Exhibitions
Klima Biennale, Vienna, 2024 (ongoing)
Timeless Curiosities, Istanbul Modern, Istanbul, 2024 (ongoing)
Seekult Festival, Friedrichshafen, 2023
After Laughter Comes Tears, MUDAM, Luxembourg, 2023
Karma Coma, Anna Laudel Gallery, Bodrum, 2023
FLUXUS S(I)EX TIES, Museum Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden, 2023
Humor, Loved, Frowned Upon, Feared, Vögele Kultur Zentrum, Pfäffikon, 2023
Galeriefest, Grimmwelt Museum, Kassel, 2023
14. Biennial of Young Artists, Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje, 2023
The Art of the Football Scarf, OOF Gallery, London, 2022
documenta fifteen, Kassel, 2022
IV. Peligros de la Amistad, CPU, Palacio Barolo, Buenos Aires, 2021
Memennial 2020, Seattle; Dallas, 2020
Performances
2024
Crit Club with Kate Brown, Moshtari Hilal, Ahmet Öğüt and Abbas Zahedi, Trauma Bar, Berlin
2023
Crit Club with Lucia Pietroiusti and Nora Sternfeld, commissioned by Het HEM, Zaandam
Crit Club with Renzo Martens and Karim Sultan, commissioned by Het HEM, Zaandam
Sticker Vendor Comes to Mudam, Mudam, Luxembourg
2022
Sticker Vendor Comes to Radio Alhara, documenta fifteen, Kassel
Sticker Vendor Comes to Gudskul, documenta fifteen, Kassel
Residencies and Institutional Collaborations
2023
Artistic Advisor, documenta Institut, Kassel
Artistic contributor, Post-Postmodernism: A Map for the Present, Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn
Artistic Contributor, Islands of Kinship, Jindřich Chalupecký Society, Prague
Curator-in-residence, SEA Foundation, Tilburg
Artistic contributor, the sustainable institution, E-WERK Luckenwalde, Berlin (ongoing)
Resident at Practitioners Program, Parse Journal, Gothenburg
2022
Harvester for documenta fifteen, Kassel
Harvester for IHK Kassel, Kassel
Selected Talks, Lectures and Workshops
2024
Workshop, Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje (forthcoming)
Workshop series, Klima Biennale, Vienna
In Conversation with Sophie Publig, Klima Biennale, Vienna
Artist’s talk, Eaton, Hong Kong
Artist’s talk, Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong
Workshop, Non-conference, ZKM, Karlsruhe
Short course, HEAD Genève, Geneva
2023
Artist’s talk with Klaus Speidel, Crit Cross, Depot, Vienna
Workshop, Diversity Week, University of Kassel
Artist’s talk, Brand New Art, Kraków
Lecture, Pratt Institute, New York
Workshop with Frances Breden, Pop-Kultur Festival, Berlin
Panelist, Burn Out Symposium, E-WERK Luckenwalde, Berlin
Lecture hosted by documenta Institute, University of Kassel
Lecture at Weak Signals. New Narratives in Art, Universität der Künste, Berlin
Artist’s talk with Kolja Reichert, Berlinische Galerie, Berlin
Artist’s talk hosted by Rokolectiv Festival, Suprainfinit Gallery, Bucharest
Artist’s talk with Mateo Chacón Pino, Galeriefest, Grimmwelt Museum, Kassel
Artist’s talk, Art Market Society, Columbia University, New York
Artist’s talk with Sofia Asvestopoulos, The Article, Frankfurt
Panelist, Conversations: On the Form and Function of Meme Making, Art Basel Hong Kong, Hong Kong
In conversation with Dorian Batycka, UVNT Art Fair, Madrid
The Politics and Poetics of Exhibiting in Art Museums, Louisiana Museum, Humlebæk
Artistic contribution to How be an an Artist?, convened by Frank Wasser, NCAD Gallery, Dublin
Workshop series, HDK Valand, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg
Workshop in collaboration with Harley Aussoleil and Frances Breden, Muthesius Kunsthochschule, Kiel
Artist’s talk, Rhizome Office Hours, Rhizome, New York
2022
Lecture, Istanbul Modern, Istanbul
Panelist, The Future of Critique Conference, Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn
Artistic contribution to "A Live TV Broadcast" a series of live-edited TV programs for Offener KanalKassel, as part of Joen Vedel's contribution to documenta fifteen, Kassel
Workshop in collaboration with Harley Aussoleil and Frances Breden, documenta fifteen, Kassel
Lecture, Axis Graduate Programme, Wakefield
Artist's Talk, Stellwerk Gallery, Kassel
Workshop, University of Stuttgart, Institute for Principles of Modern Architecture, Stuttgart
Workshop with sobat-sobat, documenta fifteen, Kassel
Il Gazzettino, curated by Lukas Feireiss, Venice
Workshop, Barbican Centre, London
Short Course in collaboration with Abbas Zahedi, Royal College of Art, London
2021
Lecture, Universität der Künste, Berlin
Guest Lecture in Ahmet Öğüt’s seminar, Universität der Künste, Berlin
Short Course in collaboration with Abbas Zahedi, Royal College of Art, London
Guest Lecture, Sotheby's Institute of Art, London
Guest Lecture, Central Saint Martins, London
Selected Press
2024
Interview with Artnet, January
2023
TALK (Issue 4), published by Small Night Projects, December
Vogue Turkey, July
Interview with Arts of the Working Class, June
Transbordeur Photographie, 2023
Interview with Metropolis M, February / March Issue
Journal of Creative Pursuit, Issue 3, January
Studio Mercado, January
2022
Journal der Künste, November
Interview with Arts of the Working Class, November
Critical Meme Reader #2, November
Simulacrum Magazine, Vol. 30
Interview with TRT World, September
Milliyet Sanat, August
Gatekeeper Magazine, July
Interview with Acik Radyo, June
Interview with Dazed, May
Interview with The Art Newspaper, May
émergent Magazine, Issue 7, January
Kunstforum, Issue 279, January
2021
Institute of Network Cultures, December
Petruse Entertainment, September
Interview with The Art Gorgeous, August
Interview with Gallerytalk.net, August
Interview with Monopol Magazin, July
OOF Magazine, June
Curator’s Radar Podcast, April (Spotify) (Apple)
Curated Chatter Podcast, February (Spotify) (Apple)
Gallerytalk.net, 2020
Frieze Magazine, Issue 211, 2020
Merchandise
Art Market Limited is a fictional brand satirising the art world. It has been created by Cem A.
Online orders: https://www.instagram.com/artmarketlimited
Available to purchase at:
Pro qm Buchhandlung, Berlin
Berlinische Galerie, Berlin
Istanbul Modern Store, Istanbul
Mudam, Luxembourg City
Publications
The Meme Kit
Published by Cem A. in collaboration with Meme Studies Research Network
Writing by Mira Calix, Naomi Falk and İdil Galip; editing by İdil Galip
Design by Ines Barbosa da Costa
Accessible at:
documenta Archiv, Kassel
Istanbul Modern Library, Istanbul
The Július Koller Society, Bratislava
HEAD Genève, Geneva
Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong
Tai Kwun, Artists' Book Library, Hong Kong
Available to purchase at:
Buchhandlung Walther König, Berlin
Pro qm Buchhandlung, Berlin
Mudam, Luxembourg City
La Dispersion, Geneva