They present the work of some of the most exciting artists active in London, many of them showing in Istanbul for the first time. The show also aims to help forge links between London and Istanbul, as it will be followed in 2010 by an exhibition of Turkish contemporary artists in London.
On show is new work by Jake & Dinos Chapman and Keith Tyson, amongst the most relevant and influential established artists on the scene, alongside work by a new generation of artists who have kept London a vital centre of art production; Diann Bauer, Shezad Dawood, Mounir Fatmi, Edward Fornieles, Margarita Gluzberg, Idris Khan, Nathaniel Rackowe and Douglas White.
The title of the show, Il Faut être Absolument Moderne, ('One must be absolutely modern') is taken from Une Saison en Enfer, written by the poet Arthur Rimbaud in the 1870's. The maxim has, for a long time, served as a rallying cry for cultural radicals. However the future has always been contested ground, fought over by competing ideologies, and the question of what it means to be modern is constantly in play. To respond to the curatorial concerns of the Istanbul Biennale, which explicitly investigates the continuing relevance of utopian Modernist thought, to society and culture. Accordingly Il Faut être Absolument Moderne showcases works by the selected artists that exemplify the legacy of the irrational and anti-utopian strands of thought and practice that also served to define the Modernist era.
Participating Artists
Diann Bauer, Jake & Dinos Chapman, Shezad Dawood, Stephane Graff, Mounir Fatmi, Edward Fornieles, Margarita Gluzberg, Idris Khan, Nathaniel Rackowe, Keith Tyson, Douglas White.
Address of Exhibition:
Luleci Hendek Cad. Ali Hoca Sok.
Gun Han, No 12 Floor 2
Galata / Beyoglu
Istanbul
Turkey