English
On the 23rd of March, Istanbul opens with “Paradise Lost,” a brilliant new exhibition centred around the notion of the innocence and purity of nature in the context of contemporary art. The work of 19 artists will form the examination of the conflict between nature and today´s technological society.
A key element of the show is the idea of an ancestral nostalgia for “paradise lost” in the face of culture, industry and technology. The investigation into the concept of nature makes Romanticism as its starting point, placing special emphasis on the artistic point of view; and how it is effected by the artifices of todays culture, and the current postmodernism.
With this in mind, some of the questions which the show asks are about whether natural innocence still exists in this day and age, or whether the notion is a purely romantic one. Unsurprisingly, there is also reflection upon the ecological future of the planet – and whether we have arrived at a point of no return in terms of the destruction of nature. And even if some form of natural innocence still exists – will the growing dichotomy between the natural and the technological eventually render it unrecognisable?
This is an interesting project which has collaborated with some of today´s most exciting contemporary artists, such as Belgian Francis Alys, acclaimed video-artist Pipilotti Rist, Kiki Smith Bill Viola, Pae White, Ulrike Ottinger, Armin Linke, and Guy Maddin.
More information about this fantastic work: http://www.istanbulmodern.org/en/f_index.html
Heloise Battista
This exhibition is on until 24th of July. The best option would be to rent apartments in Istanbul, and head down to the show, which opens on the 23rd of March.
Translated by: Poppy
