Invisible Boundaries was planned as an event to be organized with the Consulate General of Spain at the Elgiz Museum on the 17th of June. It was designed to create a bonding bridge between the two cultures and countries.
We live in a world order where boundaries exist and do not exist. One the one hand, citizens of countries that are not part of the European Union have to wait in endless lines at passport control, while on the other hand, societies are able to freely move and travel. Lunch in France, dinner in Switzerland… Even if people cannot travel physically, it is incredibly easy to communicate with people across the globe thanks to advancing technology. A lecturer can teach a class in New York from Istanbul. This especially applies to art; travelling curators and artists, artists who cross these boundaries and choose other places to live and work, and thereby find a possibility to introduce their culture to another society and culture. Artist residency programs add value, different cultures inspire.
This exhibition is designed around the works of artists from countries that bridge Spain and Turkey. As is expressed in the title, “Invisible Boundaries” is not limited to geographical boundaries, but designed freely, as are these apparent boundaries. Works by artists from Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Turkey from the Elgiz Collection will be displayed. In the framework of the event organized by the Spanish Consulate, five Spanish artists’ works in the Elgiz Collection will be shown, alongside a work by a Turkish artist who is both a Turkish and Spanish citizen and resides in Spain, and artists who have been invited by the Spanish Consulate, who live and work in Turkey. A Spanish Contemporary Flamenco Dancer performed a specially choreographed dance for the evening while the contemporary version of the Spanish Film Biancaneve played in the background.
The artists whose works were selected to be shown were: Anna Malagrida, Anne Wölk, Antonio Riello, Bruno Peinado, Clara Montaya, Deborah Sportes, Fausto Gilberti, Gerhard Richter, Guillermo Mora, Günther Förg, Loris Cecchini, Luis Vidal, Maren Krass, Marcus Oehlen, Matteo Mate, Mimmo Paladino, Piero Gilardi, Robert Gligorov, Roman Lipski, Volkan Diyaroğlu, Tim White Sobieski, Xavier Veilhan.
The two Spanish artists that have contributed to the exhibition with their works and installations are Armando Rabadan and Juan Botella Lucas. Volkan Diyaroğlu’s presence in the exhibition, whose works are also in the Elgiz Collection served as a connecting link since he is a Turkish artist residing and working in Spain.
