Rehang
Opening 5 - 7 pm, Friday 11th September
Rehang is a temporary intervention that will take place in the lobby of the Büyük Londra Oteli for the duration of the 2009 Istanbul Biennial.
In this infamous drinking haunt of Istanbul, paintings and objects by artists Anna Boghiguian, Farida El-Gazzar, Hala Elkoussy, Gülsün Karamustafa, Alisa Margolis and Shahzia Sikander will replace some of the existing framed works and paraphernalia that have for years decorated the lobby.
Hotel lobbies notoriously contain prints, paintings and ornaments and while these are often franchised selections, in the Londra's case they are personal acquisitions. The art works included in Rehang sit easily within this eclectic environment, yet at the same time the lobby creates a very different context for the works' appreciation compared to their usual viewing situation in a white cube gallery space. In this unique setting the included art works become first and foremost objects of decoration, but their references to notions of hybridity, layers of tradition and complex cultural concerns sets them apart from the myriad of found and collected items that surround them. It is this shared platform that creates new narratives and memories for the art works, as well as the Londra's surrounding possessions that may well share similar aspirations with regard to their selection, but are considered from a different perspective and usually do not involve a position of intent. At the Londra, Rehang raises questions of taste, value, commodity and how an art works' environment and location relate to its populist acceptance and its appreciation as an object of art.
Curated by Sylvia Kouvali and November Paynter
Grand Hotel de Londres / Büyük Londra Oteli
Mesrutiyet Caddesi. No: 117 80050 Beyoglu Istanbul
