Ankara-based Erhan Us is a conceptual artist and author whose work interacts with concepts of commoditization, manipulated realities, and corruption. Pandemic v2.0 is one of two editions, the first edition...
Ankara-based Erhan Us is a conceptual artist and author whose work interacts with concepts of commoditization, manipulated realities, and corruption. Pandemic v2.0 is one of two editions, the first edition being the original installation, and is a reference to Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian which was exhibited at Art Basel, Miami Beach in 2019. Consisting of a roll of duct tape on a toilet paper roll, Pandemic v2.0 comments on the toilet paper shortage that marked the beginning of the COVID pandemic as well as the prolific artistic commodification that is seemingly exponential. Just as a banana taped to a gallery wall is assigned an aggressive value, so are the mundane objects that are threatened by scarcity due to a pandemic. Us inquires whether there is a limit to commodity, even in the time of an unprecedented pandemic.
Us has won many awards for his photography, including Photo of the Month twice from the Ankara Photography Artists’ Association (AFSAD). Us has exhibited internationally in both solo and group exhibitions, including The Digital Captivity for the Iklim Art Project, Turkey; Boarders at Gaziantep Zeugma Museum, Turkey; and Mass at Filmgate, Miami. This year he is also participating in SyArt 4th Sorrento Festival and digitally in Festival De Arte Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. He is a member of Photographic and Visual Arts Federations in Turkey and is currently continuing his studies on Sociology and Philosophy at Istanbul and Anadolu Universities.