iz peşinde/auf der spur

For our collaboration, I sent Philipp Baumann 3D scans of sections of  Ankara's pavements, not only to make him familiar with the surroundings but also because this approach aligns with his current artistic practice. Philipp describes his process as follows:

“Just like fossils or physical artifacts, the 3D models derived from scans allow only approximate insights into the true nature of their origin. Even though transferring them into the digital realm allows for transformation to the point where the starting point becomes almost unrecognizable, the result still carries traces of physical actuality. The simultaneous loss and gain of information during these transformations can be compared to how memories of a specific place change over time. The ‘traces’ meet in the ‘garage’ and open up new associations and connections.”

In this project, I aim to depict the plan of a fictional, non-existent district, which could be situated anywhere in the world. What I want to show is that we constantly move within such planned or spontaneously formed structures and tend to see them as unchangeable realities. These structures shape our development, our ways of living, and our behavior. At the same time, they act like a cage that we can hardly escape, at least mentally. They become an inseparable part of our identity.

The idea of the flâneur, or rather the tracker, comes to mind. The difference here is that he doesn’t quite know what he’s looking for. Because he moves exactly at the threshold between the real and the imagined, or the virtual.

 coşkun demirok 23.10.2025, Ankara

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Philipp Baumann

was born in Charleston South Carolina and grew up in Germany close to the city of Cologne. After finishing his Bachelor-degree in Digital Games at the Cologne Game Lab he continued his studies at the Art Academy 

Duesseldorf in 2019. At the academy he became a Meisterschueler in the class of Franka Hoernschemeyer and is currently working towards his graduation in the class of Nina Canell. His practice revolves around the relation and intertwinement between digital and physical space, information and processes. The resulting works have been part of multiple exhibitions in Duesseldorf, Cologne, Bergisch Gladbach and now Ankara.

Coşkun Demirok

was born in Ankara and has lived in Düsseldorf since 1971. From 

1999 to 2017, he was one of the partners at the architectural firm “DGMArchitekten” in Krefeld. Alongside his work in architecture, he has consistently

maintained his identity as an artist. In recent years, having reconnected with 

Ankara, he established the “garage” as his working space and, beyond that, as an

“artspace for experience.” More recently, his interests have expanded beyond the

visual arts to include text collages, photography, performance, installation, 

and acoustic art.

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