28.02.2019 – 04.05.2019
Merdiven Art Space is pleased to announce the exhibition titled “Swaddling the Baby” by Gülsün Karamustafa, one of the most prominent artists of the contemporary art scene in Turkey, between February 28 and April 13. The artist, focusing on the striking events of recent history, whose practice ranges from video to sculpture, painting to installation and spans more than 40 years, designs an installation titled the same as the exhibition, for Merdiven Art Space.
Karamustafa who addresses to sociopolitical themes such as cultural patterns, social codes, identity struggle, migration, gender, political impotence in her works, reveals visual expressions featuring subtle criticism. The artist whose expressive language has been shaped by pop culture, folklore and autobiography-based elements since the 70s, focuses on sensitivities that inflicted both social and individual wounds. “Swaddling the Baby,” inspired by Karamustafa’s trip to Florence in 1969, when she was a student, was revived after a visit to “Ospedale degli Innocenti,” an old orphanage building designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. Handcrafted by Andrea Della Robbia, the wall engravings accompanying the dramatic story of the building and featuring swaddled baby drawings refer to the tragedies that have been continuing to be relevant since the 15th century. The exhibition titled “Swaddling the Baby” focusing on the children who are the victims of their time because of the wars that have been continuing for the ages, massive disasters, migrations and diasporas, reinterprets the state of being in need of help.
Gülsün Karamustafa, revealing the fate of the victims who were able to luckily survive against the political, economic and social crises, brings a regular day at an orphanage into the gallery space by means of a black and white video installation. “Swaddling the Baby” exposing a striking analysis regarding the individual and social void caused by the loss invites the spectators to a journey through the basis of purity.
