Ames Yavuz to Unveil Second Gallery In Sydney With Major Screening Program

8 Mar 2024

Ames Yavuz will open a second Australian gallery space at 114 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills to the public on Friday 14 June. Located near the first Sydney gallery on Reservoir Street, this marks a significant milestone for Ames Yavuz, amplifying its programming in Australia across two dynamic sites.

Founded as Yavuz Gallery in Singapore in 2010 by Can Yavuz, the gallery expanded to Sydney in 2019, becoming the first commercial art gallery from Asia to establish a permanent space in Australia. This year, Yavuz Gallery was renamed Ames Yavuz, incorporating the surnames of Can Yavuz and Glen Ames to reflect their Asia-Pacific and European heritage, and their relationship both in life and business. 

Spanning an area of 300 square metres and featuring three-metre-high ceilings, the new location has a rich heritage, formerly a petrol station and part of the bustling hub of the rag trade and textiles industry in Surry Hills. The raw interior of this historic warehouse provides a unique exhibition space for Ames Yavuz. 

The gallery’s inaugural presentation, MEMORY/MYTH features contemporary and historic films and video installations by 26internationally renowned artists from across the world, including 20 works never-before-seen in Australia. 

Curated by London-based Director of Ames Yavuz, Ananya Mukhopadhyay, the program includes works by Thania Petersen(South Africa), Stanislava Pinchuk (Ukraine), Richard Bell (Kamilaroi, Kooma, Jiman and Gurang Gurang, Australia), Brook Andrew (Wiradjuri, Ngunnawal/Australia) and Joy Gregory (UK). The screening program explores experiences of indigeneity, diaspora and the intersecting global legacies of colonialism, and emphasises Ames Yavuz’s commitment to showcasing international artists in Australia. 

Highlight works in the program include Blinded by the very force it imagined it could handle, by celebrated photographer-filmmakers Donovan Wylie and Peter Mann, marking the first time the video installation will be shown outside of Ireland. Monica de Miranda, a prominent Portuguese artist currently representing her nation at the Venice Biennale, will showcase The Island (A Ilha), commissioned by Autograph, London. Indonesian collective Tromarama will present their major work Growing Pillars, which was produced for the 2023 Facade Commission at M+, Hong Kong. Turkish artist Fikret Atay will present Tinica, a video work that has garnered international acclaim in prestigious exhibitions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Istanbul Modern, SFMOMA, and Hammer Museum.

Following this program, Ames Yavuz will present curated exhibitions with leading artists, including Abdul Abdullah (Australia),Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan (Philippines), Guido Maestri (Australia), Kawayan de Guia (Philippines), Caroline Rothwell (United Kingdom), and Vincent Namatjira OAM (Western Aranda, Australia). Further details on the upcoming exhibition program will be revealed in the coming months. 

Founder Can Yavuz and CEO Glen Ames said: “We are thrilled to be opening a second space in the heart of Sydney and are excited to grow this cornerstone of our ambitious global program. We can’t wait to share the expanded scope of Ames Yavuz in Australia as a distinctive new platform to celebrate local and international artists. This new space continues our commitment to the region and to the incredible artists and audiences in Australia.”

London-based Director of Ames Yavuz and curator of the screening program, Ananya Mukhopadhyay said, “MEMORY/MYTH is a program of films and video installations borne from a conversation between kindred spirits — authors united by their shared inheritance of landscapes and stories ravaged by the imperial project. The extensive lacunae in such histories are visited by these artists as sites for both mourning and discovery, while also being generative spaces for myth-making, fantasy and the curative contemplation of possible futures.” 

Full list of artists exhibiting: 

·       Ibrahim Ahmed (Kuwait)

·       Mónica Alcázar-Duarte (Mexico)

·       Brook Andrew (Wiradjuri, Ngunnawal/Australia)

·       Fikret Atay (Turkey) 

·       Martha Atienza (Philippines) 

·       Richard Bell (Kamilaroi, Kooma, Jiman and Gurang Gurang/Australia)

·       Club Ate (Australia)

·       Joy Gregory (UK) 

·       Amrita Hepi (Bundjulung/Ngapuhi Territories)

·       Choy Ka Fai (Singapore) 

·       Mehdi-Georges Lahlou (Morocco/France)

·       Mónica de Miranda (Portugal)

·       Jake Nash (Daly River people/Australia)

·       Khandakar Ohida (India)  

·       Thania Petersen (South Africa) 

·       Stanislava Pinchuk (Ukraine)

·       Lindokuhle Sobekwa (South Africa)

·       Valentina Soto (Chile)

·       Mikhael Subotzky (South Africa) 

·       Eve Tagny (Canada)

·       Tromarama (Indonesia)  

·       Bindi Vora (UK)

·       Jayda Wilson (Gugada, Wirangu/Australia)

·       Donovan Wylie and Peter Mann (Ireland)

The new gallery will open to the public on Friday 14 June from 6–8pm, and MEMORY/MYTH will run until Saturday 6 July. 

For further information, please visit amesyavuz.com