My City brings five prominent artists from Europe to Turkey to experience for themselves the cultural diversity and richness of the country in the 21st Century. At the same time, several leading Turkish artists will exhibit some of their newest work at leading European cultural venues. The creative exchange facilitated by My City will be a chance to forge a deeper cultural understanding between Turkey and Europe.

To coincide with Istanbul’s selection as a European capital of culture in 2010, My City is being launched as part of the European Commission’s Cultural Bridges programme.

The five artists who have been invited to Turkey to develop a unique new piece of public art are:

• Mark Wallinger, UK, in the city of Canakkale
• Clemens von Wedemeyer, Germany, in the city of Mardin
• Joanna Rajkowska, Poland, in the city of Konya
• Minna Henriksson, Finland, in the city of Trabzon
• Andreas Fogarasi, Austria,in the city of Istanbul

Andreas Fogorasi, the artist chosen to represent Austria said, " Istanbul offers a multiplicity of very different contexts for artistic intervention which makes it very challenging to create a work for "the" city. And there is a critical and active public, itself involved in a historical and social mapping of the city."

British Council My City Programme Director David Codling said: “The arts are how societies seek to understand and express themselves and therefore must be at the heart of the conversation between Turkey and Europe.”

The works in the five cities will be inspired by the cities the artists visit and will be unveiled in 2010. The programme also has a large educational element which focuses on the young people in all five of the cities, providing them with a forum to discuss and debate the unique identity, designs and cultural lives of their cities.

My City was conceived by the Briitsh Council together with Turkish partners Andalou Kultur and Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Centre. For more information about the artists taking part in the My City programme please visit www.mycity.eu.com.