Özlem Günyol (*1977) and Mustafa Kunt (*1978) have been working together in Frankfurt am Main since 2007. After studying at Hacettepe University in Ankara, they completed their training at the Städelschule in Frankfurt - Günyol with Ayşe Erkmen, Kunt with Wolfgang Tillmans. Their works address socio-political and historical issues by examining the meaning of language and symbols in discourses on power and authority. They have received several awards for their versatile, often formally minimalist installations, most recently the HAP Grieshaber Prize in 2017.
The central concern of their work is to reflect on the formation of identity, which is shaped by cultural, social and political conditions: In "Hemzemin" (2014), for example, they transformed a flagpole into a floor plate, thereby disempowering the symbol of national representation. In "Flag-s" (2009), they superimpose the flags of all nations onto a black surface, thus questioning the power of representational symbols. The Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe is dedicating a comprehensive exhibition to Özlem Günyol and Mustafa Kunt with new and past projects.
The central concern of their work is to reflect on the formation of identity, which is shaped by cultural, social and political conditions: In "Hemzemin" (2014), for example, they transformed a flagpole into a floor plate, thereby disempowering the symbol of national representation. In "Flag-s" (2009), they superimpose the flags of all nations onto a black surface, thus questioning the power of representational symbols. The Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe is dedicating a comprehensive exhibition to Özlem Günyol and Mustafa Kunt with new and past projects.
