Torna is a small contemporary art space, a modest bookshop for artists’ printed materials, and a letterpress printing studio in Kadıköy, Istanbul. It shares its 14 sqm area with an engeenering workshop - enesk - whose owner has a heartbreaking attachment to lathes. The workshop is run by David Unwin and everything else is run and taken advantage of by Merve Kaptan under the name of Torna.
The projects that happen in Torna rely on the limitations of working within/alongside another running production space. Torna encourages the possibilties of exhibiting in a non white cube gallery space.
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In August 2011, Torna started off setting up the space and the workshop. The diagram: Blackboard Series by Banner Repeater started while the space was still under construction. 5 artists from London contributed to the project.
Between 21st and 25th September 2011 a London based collective, Dial Zero, used Torna as the headquarters of their latest project 'Kadıköy Art Trail'. The project focused on making small-scale interventions around the city.
After a lengthy winter break, Torna is now officially open with a solo show by British artist Charlie Coffey and a book launch by Istanbul publisher Bakkal Press.
Torna is also the Istanbul home to folio magazine.
Torna means lathe in Turkish.
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Publishers
visual editions / counter-print / folio / too many books / bakkal / onagöre / reccolective / the mays / island editions / innen / no.zine / critical writing collective / tant / yh485 / museums press / owt creative / cataract publishin / doubleday & cartwright
Artists
gözde türkkan / gamze özer / timothée huguet / merve kaptan / ali taptık / okay karadayılar / sevim sancaktar / selim süme / toorba / nick davies / jason hynes / asayo yamamato / robert bidder / kristina kramer / onur kemal kösedağ / haktan özer / nobuyoshi takagi / serkan karaca / ceren oykut / robert samuel hanson / john devlin / gosia machon / kristyan robinson / charlie coffey
2011 / Diagram Project with Banner Repeater / Works by Merve Kaptan and Kristyan Robinson at Dial Zero
