April 4–June 10, 2014
Opening: Thursday 3 April, 6–8pm
Galeri Mana
Kemankes Mah.
Ali Pasa Degirmeni Sok. No:16
34425 Beyoglu
Istanbul
Turkey
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday 11–18h
Adrian Paci in conversation with Cristiana Perrella
Saturday 5 April, 4 pm
Istanbul Modern
Meclis-i Mebusan Cad.
Liman Isletmeleri Sahasi Antrepo No: 4
34433 Beyoglu
Istanbul
Galeri Manâ is pleased to announce Who Shall Deliver Us From The Greeks and Romans?, an exhibition curated by Cristiana Perrella between the dates 3 April and 10 May, presenting works by Lisa Anne Auerbach & Aleksandra Mir, Steven Claydon, Gregory Crewdson, Aslı Çavuşoğlu, Özlem Günyol & Mustafa Kunt, Matthew Monahan, Jonathan Monk, Adrian Paci, Pedro Reyes, Daniel Silver and Francesco Vezzoli with special guest Liam Gillick.
Classical legacy dies hard. The links between contemporary art and the Classical heritage are explored in the exhibition through the works of artists from different cultural contexts, each one proposing a diverse approach to the re-reading of the idea of antiquity, its myths, its narratives, its visual lexicon and canons. The artists in Who Shall Deliver Us From The Greeks and Romans? don’t make faithful copies, they don’t put the culture of the past on a pedestal, they privilege discontinuity and margins, hybridization and parody, conveying a sense of detachment from given ideas of history and monumentality. Unlikely classicists, they blur the boundaries between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, they question authenticity and affirm the performative nature of retelling the past.
“It is no coincidence that the sudden resurfacing of Greek and Roman themes in contemporary art, though scattered in fragments, out of context, coincides with a gradual crisis of classical culture—one of the most enduring myths of occidental art history—as it becomes more marginal on the global scene and its claims to universal pertinence fall from grace. The gaps of meaning that converge today around the idea of the classical as a Eurocentric canon have paradoxically multiplied its possibilities of interpretation, giving rise to unexpected interpretations of what was already an incredibly rich, complex and evocative repertoire of forms, narrations and ideas.”
–Cristiana Perrella
Artists Özlem Günyol & Mustafa Kunt, Alexandra Mir, Adrian Paci and Daniel Silver, along with curator Cristiana Perrella will be present at the exhibition opening.
A conversation between Adrian Paci and Cristiana Perrella departing from Paci’s two works, The Column and Piktori, currently on display at Galeri Mana and Istanbul Modern respectively, to elaborate on the artists’ practice will take place at Istanbul Modern on Saturday 5 April at 4 pm.
Cristiana Perrella is a curator and a writer. She directed The British School in Rome’s Contemporary Arts Program from 1998 to 2008. In 2008 and 2009 she developed and implemented SACS, the agency for contemporary art in Sicily for RISO, Museum of Contemporary Art in Palermo. Perrella has curated numerous exhibitions in Italy and abroad, and has written extensively on Italian and international artists. Since 2009 she is curating the art + science project for Fondazione Marino Golinelli in Bologna.
Galeri Manâ, located in the Tophane district of Istanbul, is a converted wheat mill that dates to the 19th century. Founded by Mehves Ariburnu in 2011, the gallery seeks to establish an inclusive and interdisciplinary dialogue through its artistic program, special events and publications. Galeri Manâ works with artists who stand on the edges of contemporary artistic practice by investigating the boundaries of their mediums and expanding their conceptual reach.