Exhibition opening: Another Country | Eine andere Welt

In 2010 the Akademie Schloss Solitude and the ifa-Galerie Stuttgart are collaborating on a joint project entitled Another Country | Eine andere Welt. The exhibition is being respectively shown at the ifa-Galerie Stuttgart and subsequently at the ifa-Galerie Berlin. Supported by an ifa Rave Scholarship and a residency at the Akademie Schloss Solitude, the young Turkish curator Ovul Durmusoglu spent time at both institutions working on the conceptualization and planning of the project. It has been conceived as a launch event for the ifa exhibition series Kulturtransfers #1 (Cultural Transfers #1), where an exemplary thematic exploration of the migration of forms, contexts, and artistic strategies—a genuine Solitude theme—is pursued. This project also facilitates a retrospective look at both institutions’ activities, programs, and artistic positions, all which fundamentally (in terms of their approach) initiate and make possible a form of »cultural transfer«.

On the Exhibition
Tea and tulips, paper and porcelain, yoga and algebra have all been borrowed from other cultures; one of the greatest instances of progress made in the European sciences was based upon the adoption of the Indian numerical system, including the symbol zero, in the twelfth century thanks to efforts by Arabian scientists. The presence of a multitude of thought processes—as well as of various goods, technologies, and motifs—has resulted from interaction and transfer between different cultures. In allusion to the documenta motto of the migration of form(s), here encounters and transnational shifts—of not only motifs but also technologies, strategies, and ideas—are investigated: for the exhibition »Another Country | Eine andere Welt«, curator Övül Durmusoglu has selected works from seven artists originating from the Near East, Europe, Turkey, and also the United States. While Ashley Hunt charts a world map delineating the movements and boundaries of globalization with partners on site, Dubravka Sekulić examines the Europolitical history of the European Song Contest. And while Javier Hinojosa explores the uniformity of cities through photo series, drawings, and texts, Matilde Cassani traces the religious spaces of non-Christian migrants in Europe. Köken Ergun, in turn, focuses in his video work »Wedding« on nuptial rituals within one of the largest Turkish communities in Berlin. And Cevdet Erek, in his sound installation »Lineal«, investigates abstract and personal numerical sequences and time periods ranging from zero to the present, thus alluding to one of the early scientific transfers of knowledge; Jumana Manna, in contrast, translates the question of cultural transfer into video form: »Ein Wallfahrtslied« (A Pilgrimage Song)—a psalm from the Old Testament—is sung by Christians, Jews, and Muslims from the Near East.

Curator: Övül Durmusoglu

Participating artists: Matilde Cassani (ITA), Cevdet Erek (TUR), Köken Ergun (TUR), Javier Hinojosa (MEX), Ashley Hunt (USA), Jumana Manna (USA/PSE/NO), Dubravka Sekulic (SRB)

With the financial support of Baden-Württemberg’s Landesstiftung foundation.