Social representation and spatial footprints of private gallery spaces in Ankara after 1980

With the proclamation of the capital city, studies on the formation of a modern new life in Ankara began. It is aimed that the city, which is the capital of the bureaucracy, befits the representation of the republic in culture and art. These aims have been effective in the urbanization process of Ankara by finding their spatial counterparts in the structural framework. Art galleries, which appear as one of the new spaces of modern society, not only act as an intermediary in the exhibition and marketing of works, but also undertake the task of binding the relationship between society and art. For this reason, gallery spaces have not only remained as exhibition spaces, but have turned into alternative spaces as socialization areas for the society. In the first years of the Republic, the exhibitions, which started with the aim of creating a visual memory in order to incorporate the republican ideology into social life, also operated as cultural spaces in order to create the modern human being. Parallel to the changes in the user profile and the art environment over time, the functions that the galleries are loaded with in addition to the exhibition function have also changed. This study deals with the social representations of the private art gallery in Ankara after 1980, their functions in addition to the exhibition function and their spatial counterparts. The exhibition spaces discussed within the scope of the study were selected from private galleries that are actively operating today and that contain additional functions, and are limited by the differentiation of their functions within their own period. In the study, the spatial reflections of the culture and art environment, which was affected by state policies and economic activities, and the galleries transformed in this direction; from the perspective of users, artists and managers, it has been discussed and conveyed through personal interviews.