Contextual Transformation in Installation Art: The Influence of the Museum Space on the Meaning of the Artwork

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 1 Sayı: 1, 21 - 41, 27.12.2025

Neslihan Avcı

Öz

The art of installation emerged as a form of expression that transcended the boundaries of modernist aesthetic understanding from the 1960s onwards, transforming space into an active component of art production. This transformation, ranging from Duchamp’s ready-made objects to site-specific approaches, demonstrated that the meaning of a work of art is directly related to the context in which it is exhibited. Brian O’Doherty’s critique of the “white cube” and Walter Benjamin's concept of “aura” provide important theoretical frameworks that explain the decisive role of the museum space in the perception of the work. This study examines the relationship that installation art establishes with context through contemporary art institutions in Turkey. The purposeful sample of the research consists of institutions such as OMM Modern Museum, Istanbul Modern, Arter, Pera Museum, and Elgiz Museum. The transformation of the production and experience areas of installation art, as reflected in the architectural qualities, exhibition strategies, and site-specific practices of these museums, is analyzed through case studies. These institutions were selected because they use site-specific productions extensively in their current exhibition practices, have distinct architectures, and include examples that make the experiential dimension of installation art visible. The works examined establish a direct relationship with the spatial structure of each institution, are suitable for contextual reading, and constitute a field of discussion in the literature on the interaction between space and work. The findings show that the museum space is not merely a display surface but a dynamic structure that reconfigures the meaning of the work. According to this article, installation art develops spatial strategies that differ according to institutional structures in Turkey, and museum architecture directly influences the artist’s production language. Furthermore, the study shows that space functions not only as a physical environment but also as an active subject that constructs the artwork’s meaning. The innovative aspect of the research is that it is the first to comprehensively evaluate, within a theoretical framework, the interaction between contemporary museum architecture and site-specific art production in Turkey.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Installation art , site-specificity , context transformation , white cube , contemporary art , museum space

Yerleştirme Sanatında Bağlam Dönüşümü: Müze Mekanının Eser Anlamı Üzerindeki Etkisi

Öz

The art of installation emerged as a form of expression that transcended the boundaries of modernist aesthetic understanding from the 1960s onwards, transforming space into an active component of art production. This transformation, ranging from Duchamp’s ready-made objects to site-specific approaches, demonstrated that the meaning of a work of art is directly related to the context in which it is exhibited. Brian O’Doherty’s critique of the “white cube” and Walter Benjamin's concept of “aura” provide important theoretical frameworks that explain the decisive role of the museum space in the perception of the work. This study examines the relationship that installation art establishes with context through contemporary art institutions in Turkey. The purposeful sample of the research consists of institutions such as OMM Modern Museum, Istanbul Modern, Arter, Pera Museum, and Elgiz Museum. The transformation of the production and experience areas of installation art, as reflected in the architectural qualities, exhibition strategies, and site-specific practices of these museums, is analyzed through case studies. These institutions were selected because they use site-specific productions extensively in their current exhibition practices, have distinct architectures, and include examples that make the experiential dimension of installation art visible. The works examined establish a direct relationship with the spatial structure of each institution, are suitable for contextual reading, and constitute a field of discussion in the literature on the interaction between space and work. The findings show that the museum space is not merely a display surface but a dynamic structure that reconfigures the meaning of the work. According to this article, installation art develops spatial strategies that differ according to institutional structures in Turkey, and museum architecture directly influences the artist’s production language. Furthermore, the study shows that space functions not only as a physical environment but also as an active subject that constructs the artwork’s meaning. The innovative aspect of the research is that it is the first to comprehensively evaluate, within a theoretical framework, the interaction between contemporary museum architecture and site-specific art production in Turkey.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Installation art , site-specificity , context transformation , white cube , contemporary art , museum space

Kaynakça

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