Glenn Ligon: The Seventh Continent, 16th Istanbul Biennial
Glenn Ligon's contributions to the Biennial pay tribute to US author and activist James Baldwin’s life in Istanbul. One of the works Ligon presents is Sedat Pakay’s 1973 filmic portrait of Baldwin, From Another Place, which the artist has subtitled in Turkish for the first time. In two related videos, the artist pairs crowd scenes shot in Taksim Square with music from contemporary experimental musicians. Accompanying these videos are two date neons and the newest in a series of sculptures that display the word ‘America’. Ligon has installed these using mahyas, strings of lamps or lights strung between minarets on mosques during Ramadan, that spell out messages to the faithful. The work will change in appearance every two weeks during the exhibition.
Image: still from James Baldwin 'From Another Place'. Courtesy of © Hudson Film Works II and sedatpakay.com.
Istanbul Foundation for Arts and Culture
Nejat Eczacıbaşı Building
Sadi Konuralp Caddesi, No: 5
Şişhane 34433 Istanbul
14 September - 10 November 2019