Sister Cities Collide in Berlin

Twenty years ago, Berlin and Istanbul officially became sister cities, an apt pairing when you consider Berlin’s huge Turkish community.

    Twenty years ago, Berlin and Istanbul officially became sister cities, an apt pairing when you consider Berlin’s huge Turkish community. To mark the 20th anniversary of this partnership, Berlin’s Akademie der Künste (Pariser Platz 4; 49-30-20-05-71-000; www.adk.de), in conjunction with the city of Istanbul, is presenting a series of exhibitions spotlighting the Turkish metropolis’s thriving contemporary art scene. The project, entitled “Istanbul Next Wave. Simultaneity — Parallels — Opposites,” includes three exhibitions in separate locations throughout Berlin and comprises over 250 works by 88 artists, from mid-century abstract expressionists to multimedia protest artists.

The exhibition in the Martin-Gropius-Bau (Niederkirchnerstrasse 7; 805-999-62-37-70) is composed almost entirely of pieces from the Istanbul Modern Museum, which became the city’s first contemporary art museum when it opened five years ago. Open through Jan. 17, the show is the first in Berlin to trace the evolution of modern Turkish art from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day.

Though the exhibition feels somewhat chaotic and under-curated, it also gives long-overdue attention to works that were ignored at the time by much of the western art establishment. In pieces like “Triton Octopus,” an abstract 1953 oil painting by Fahrelnissa Zeid, the aesthetic insights and upheavals of the great modernist movements play upon Islamic and Byzantine imagery. “Bir Haremim Olsun Ýsterdim / I Wish I Had a Harem,” a 1987 photo collage by the New Expressionism pioneer Bedri Baykam, is verdant proof that Istanbul is more than an artistic backwater.

The collection of works at the Akademie der Künste’s Pariser Platz location, which runs to Jan. 3, spotlights 17 female artists, focusing on the crucial role women have played in the evolution of contemporary Turkish art. And at the Akademie’s second location (Hanseatenweg 10; 49-30-20-05-72-000), visitors can view works by six controversial Turkish artists who have taken on themes of political violence and power structures in their art.

Martin-Gropius-Bau is open Wednesday to Monday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Both Akademie der Künste locations are open Tuesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission for all three exhibitions is 6 euros, or $8.72 at $1.45 to the euro.

Source:http://globespotters.blogs.nytimes.com

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