Independent Collectors
The Agah Uğur Collection
One of the largest video art collections in Istanbul, Turkey
In the early 1990s, Agah Uğur was still collecting modernist Turkish painting. As the CEO of the giant Turkish industrial group Borusan explains, at that time he was primarily concerned with beauty. In 2008, however, he began to radically reorient his collection’s concept. Since then, he has focused on provocative art that grapples with social and political themes, such as the abuse of power or issues related to ethnic and religious identity. Many of the artists in the Agah Uğur Collection are from Turkey, like Füsun Onur, Cevdet Erek, or Aslı Çavuşoğlu, but international names are also represented, such as Bouchra Khalili or James Richards. In order to make the exquisite video collection available to a broader public, Uğur opened Why Not—a 170-square-meter exhibition space with five rooms for screening videos and an area for installations, next to his own residence. Half of the exhibits are rotated every six months.
Text by Sandra Danicke
The Agah Uğur Collection is featured in the BMW ART GUIDE by INDEPENDENT COLLECTORS.
For more information visit the Agah Uğur Collection.
All images courtesy of the Agah Uğur Collection.