Melancholia in Arcadia - 2011

Lace curtains, textile hardener
Exhibited at: SALT, Istanbul, Turkey
Curated by: Vasif Kortun

Melancholia Arcadia was created as part of “I am Not a Studio Artist,” the opening exhibition of SALT, Istanbul in 2011. The exhibition was dedicated to Huseyin Bahri Alptekin, a dear friend who passed away in 2007. The title of the work is identical to a series of photographs Huseyin shot in Odessa, showing curtains blowing in the wind. These images inspired an installation of stiffened lace curtains, frozen in time and space. The work refers to the gesture of opening the windows to set free the soul of the deceased, as well as the idea of a spirit present in a room, mysteriously lifting the curtains to reveal its presence.