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On the Biennale Trail

Istanbul, Singapore, Jogjakarta

Bharti Lalwani
Eyeline 81
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Absent Does Not Mean Present: Istanbul

Following the public protests which snowballed into a country-wide stand against a broader infringement on civic rights, the anticipated 13th Istanbul Biennale opened in September 2013 and ran only a month till 20 October. It spanned five venues—SALT Beyoğlu, ARTER, Galata Greek Primary School, Antrepo 3 and 5533, bringing together a selection of established and e  assess and re-evaluate the relevance of such platforms at a time when political, civic and corporate interests clash?

‘Mom, am I Barbarian?’ was the terrifying yet introspective theme of the exhibition, borrowed from a quote by Turkish poet Lale Müldür. The word ‘Barbarian’ itself carries complex connotations of the ‘other’, reinforcing notions of exclusion and, in the context of global malcontent, the marginalisation of the citizen; thus relegating the citizen as the unruly outcast. In her curatorial outline, Fulya Erdemci emphasises the relationship between art and the public domain through her original intention to pick venues that represented urban transformation, such as Gezi Park, Taksim Square, Tarlabaşı Boulevard, Karaköy and Sulukule neighbourhood. But after the events of 31 May, this was not possible, which meant that the Biennale had to be held in the private domain. Fine. The curatorial choices of artworks, though, should not have been all that affected. But what this critic encountered was an incoherent disarray—videos that have already featured previously in other biennales, photographs of displaced people among ruins, text-heavy works and installations which made little sense. It was clear that for Erdemci, the viewer’s perspective did not take precedence.

SALT Beyoğlu had the weakest selection of three artists, with the fourth being an exception. Delhi-based Amar Kanwar’s film The Scene of Crime (2011)... The rest of this article is available to subscribers of Eyeline

Leonardiansyah Allenda, Chapter 0, 2013. Installation comprising rug, pendulum, costume, fluorescent lamp, helmet, weight scale, cups, zirkun, water, calculator, table, dimensions variable. Jogjakarta Biennale XII.

Leonardiansyah Allenda, Chapter 0, 2013. Installation comprising rug, pendulum, costume, fluorescent lamp, helmet, weight scale, cups, zirkun, water, calculator, table, dimensions variable. Jogjakarta Biennale XII.

Elmgreen & Dragset, Istanbul Diaries, 2013. Installation view, 13th Istanbul Biennale.

Elmgreen & Dragset, Istanbul Diaries, 2013. Installation view, 13th Istanbul Biennale.