Kimsooja
Pipilotti Rist
Pierre Huyghe
Patty Chang
Jon Mikel Euba
Tony Oursler
Jesper Just
Ana Laura Alaez
Shirin Neshat
Shoja Azari
Dora Garcia
Carles Congost
Markus Schinwald
Fiona Tan
Agustín Perez Rubio
A videographic journey through MUSAC's Collection. The foremost purpose of the show is to reveal the wealth of formats through which video creation has been evolving in recent years, which, in keeping with its very foundational precepts, the Spanish institution's new collection is designed to mirror. Curated by Agustin Perez Rubio.
A videographic journey through MUSAC's Collection
Curator Agustín Pérez Rubio
An Interpersonal Journey is the exhibition with which MUSAC presents a
selection of the video section of its collection for the pre-opening of the
new contemporary art museum santralistambul (Istanbul, Turkey). The foremost
purpose of the show is to reveal the wealth of formats through which video
creation has been evolving in recent years, which, in keeping with its very
foundational precepts, the Spanish institution's new collection is designed
to mirror. Ranging from video-installations that include objects to
multi-projections and sculptures that incorporate video, a selection of 14
pieces by internationally acclaimed artists will bring viewers closer to a
medium that is now a classic within artistic parameters.
An Interpersonal Journey is also intended to be a conceptually rich
selection that will rouse the viewer's interest in the possible
relationships established between human beings. For this reason, this
videographic overview has been divided into three acts, beginning with the
first, which comprises the works that stem from the subjective and
individual concerns of the artists themselves. Loss, alienation, loneliness
and silence are the topics of conversation that Kimsooja, Pipilotti Rist,
Pierre Huyghe, Patty Chang, Jon Mikel Euba and Tony Oursler establish with
themselves.
In the second act, the central characters of the action -Jesper Just, Ana
Laura Aláez, Shirin Neshat, Shoja Azari and Dora García- draw us into the
intimate universe of relationships in twos. The confrontation of opposite
and complementary elements such as man-woman, teacher-student,
interrogator-interrogee, father-son, maturity-youth, etc., will take us to
the third and last act, where the individual is represented as a group,
whether materialized as a family or a friendly entity -Carles Congost-, an
assemblage of strange, random bonds -Markus Schinwald-, or the portrait of a
specific country -Fiona Tan.
An Interpersonal Journey is definitively MUSAC's response to the invitation
from the santralistambul to produce an overview of its video collection that
arises from individuality and ends in collectiveness, having first passed
through the intimacy of a confrontation of two complementary and symmetric
individuals.
* About santralistambul
santralistanbul is a project led by İstanbul Bilgi University (BİLGİ),
involving the conversion of the Ottoman Empire's first power station -
Silahtarağa Power Plant - into a Museum of Contemporary Arts, Museum of
Energy and a cultural and educational centre. Silahtarağa Power Plant is
situated at the heart of the Golden Horn, one of İstanbul's oldest
industrial quarters, and was established in 1911, functioning until 1983.
The power plant is a unique industrial heritage site and one of the best
preserved in İstanbul.
With santralistanbul, this site of 118,000sqm will propel İstanbul into the
global networks of creative arts and cultural production and play an
important role in the process of becoming a European Capital of Culture. The
transformation of Silahtarağa Power Plant, allocated to İstanbul Bilgi
University by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources in 2004, into
santralistanbul has reached its final stages with the contributions of the
public and private sectors and civil society institutions, ready for the
official opening in 2007.
The power plant that supplied electricity to İstanbul for nearly a century
is now set to generate artistic and cultural currents in the city and the
whole region.
santralistanbul Museum of Contemporary Arts will stand on an area of
approximately 7000sqm, in a building corresponding in form and size to the
two boiler houses that formerly stood on the site. Art works from around the
world, neighbouring regions and all over Turkey will be displayed in the
Museum through programmed events and exhibitions. Museum will aim to become
a platform for discussions and artistic exchange, a centre for creative
production and a hub for regional and international art communities.
Curators and artists working with an interdisciplinary approach will be
invited to organise challenging exhibitions that will arouse international
interest and attract large numbers of visitors. Tours, courses and workshops
will be organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and local
municipalities to reaching out to broad cross-sections of society and
particularly to inspire young people's interest in contemporary arts. The
Museum of Contemporary Arts will not only be a place where visitors can
watch works of art in a pleasant environment but also a centre of research
and debate about the function of art in today's world.
Santralistambul
Istanbul