Ausstellungsprojekt - 01

‘Past, in Each of its Moments, Be Citable’ 
An exhibition project on Walter Benjamin’s Concept of History in the City of Istanbul

The chronicler who narrates events without distinguishing between major and minor ones acts in accord with the following truth: nothing that has ever happened should be regarded as lost to history.

The exhibition project Past, in Each of Its Moments, be Citable - On Walter Benjamin’s Concept of History in the City of Istanbul invites six Turkish and five German artists to read, transform and address Walter Benjamin’s theses On the Concept of History in the city of Istanbul. 

Under the initiation of the Berlin artist Patrizia Bach, the group has been reading and discussing the German philosopher’s writing since April 2015. Through collectively sharing their knowledge, experience with and approaches to the text, they have not only transferred Benjamin into the city but also conveyed his enigmatic writings into their own understanding of the here-and-now. During this process, Walter Benjamin’s text has been used as an entry point, tool, method, and critical authority in each artist’s practice. 
The participating artists Sezgi Abalı, Patrizia Bach, Doğu Çankaya, Juliane Eirich, Benjamin Maus, Lara Ögel, Neriman Polat, Çağrı Saray, Elena Tezak, Andreas Töpfer und Bilal Yılmaz all search for hidden fragments in the city, the seemingly marginal and neglected. As ‘urban physiognomists’, they cite personal history and histories in constellation with generic traditional history, investigating individual and social needs for identity and consumption, craft, automatic production and the urban infrastructure of Istanbul today. 
Through installation, drawing/illustration, photography, design, engineering, collaboration and artistic activism, the project not only reflects upon but also wishes to independently continue Walter Benjamin’s task of brushing history against the grain.

The exhibition was showing from May 28th to July 17th at DEPO, Istanbul.

Text: Caroline Adler, in: Past in Each of its Moments be Citable – an Exhibition Project on Walter Benjamins Concept of History in the City of Istanbul 2016