Joining the Center
Selma Stern
Recalling Galileo, all bodies fall equally fast in a gravitational field. The wise man’s revelation does not apply to art exhibitions though, which fall at different times and speed but may nevertheless end up in the same center of gravity. This was the case of Istanbul Modern’s show "Center of Gravity" (18 September 2005—8 January 2006), remembering that the Skirball Cultural Center hosted a similar show, called "Time/Space, Gravity and Light: Digital Art and Multimedia Installation," one year earlier (16 November 2004—27 February 2005).
Why is the center of gravity an increasingly popular subject in contemporary art, and, what and where is this center anyway? In physics, the center of gravity is a geometric property of any object. It is the point at which the object’s mass can be assumed to be concentrated. For a solid block of uniform material, the center of gravity is simply at the average location of the physical dimension. In the art world, no center of gravity exists per se. In a never-ending process of defining equilibrium, art continuously creates new and meaningful worlds with their own center of gravity.
Centro di gravita permanente (a permanent center of gravity), mentioned in the exhibition catalogue’s first page, is the title of an Italian song composed in the 1980s by Franco Battiato, alluding to the necessity of ways to escape from the confusion and uncertainty that we are surrounded by. Turkey, a country that is presently undergoing numerous reforms hoping to become a member of the European Union, surely is in a state of uncertainty, which again provides a fertile soil and brilliant location for an exhibition like "Center of Gravity."
While the art works depicted at the Skirball Cultural Center last year employed science and technology to evoke a subjective, emotional response to the physical properties central to Albert Einstein’s work, the pieces shown at Istanbul Modern’s "Center of Gravity" are concerned with establishing a new and stable environment. Having chosen works by 16 international artists, chief-curator Rosa Martinez assembles different national backgrounds, generations and artistic media. In less than one year since the establishment of Istanbul Modern, Rosa Martinez has thus succeeded in curating the museum’s first international exhibition and getting closer to the ultimate goal of becoming one of the world’s best locations for modern art.
"Center of Gravity" consists of works by the following artists: Haluk Akakce, Janine Antoni, Pilar Albarracin, Ghada Amer, Monica Bonvicini, Louise Bourgeois, Christian Boltanski, Anish Kapoor, Gulsun Karamustafa, Rem Koolhaas, Jeff Koons, Juan Munoz, Kemal Onsoy, Santiago Sierra, Richard Wentworth and Maaria Wirkkala.
Watching Come to Me, a three-channel video projection by Haluk Akakce that fills a common living room-sized wall, gives the viewer a glimpse into how beautiful and relaxed living in a world created by this artist must be. Seeing it, I wish I could have taken Akakce’s installation home with me. Ghada Amer’s I Do Not Love You (acrylic, embroidery and gel on canvas) shows young ballet dancers in various athletic positions, reminding one of Degas’ sculpture of a ballet dancer unwilling to grow up and join the world of ordinary lovers. Monica Bonvicini, whose Stairway to Hell is part of Istanbul Modern’s permanent collection, showed Hammering Out (An old argument), a color video projection which questions whether the world to be discovered underneath should be worth becoming a part of the new environment to live in. Louise Bourgeois charmed with two Untitled works made in 2004 (aluminum hanging pieces), which were provided for the exhibition courtesy of Hauser & Wirth, Zurich and London, and Cheim & Read, New York. A definite highlight was Anish Kapoor’s two walls called Untitled (fiberglass, wood and paint), which the artist specifically created for "Center of Gravity."
The other works shown of the artists were not less fascinating. Kemal Onsoy’s stairway to heaven, called The Rose can not Blossom in the Plasm, no matter how beautiful, is obviously unsuitable for usage in the New World. Richard Wentworth’s False Ceiling was comprised of books hanging from the ceiling by a steel cable. The work clearly expresses that a world made up of solely intellectual thought and theory may end up hindering freedom and liberty. Maaria Wirkkala’s installation Found a Mental Connection II was a little less accurate than Noah in inviting not only a single pair but whole families and groups of a species to a journey over the Iron Bridge, the majority of voyaging animals stemming from Africa. Last but not least, what would a center of life and exhilaration be without Mickey? Thanks to the contributions of Jeff Koons, Three Ball Total Equilibrium Tank and New Hoover Celebrity III, the exhibition had the right spirit.
