'Before It's Gone: An Exhibition on Nature and Sustainability' Brings Artists Together
İstanbul Modern's first main exhibition of 2016, "BEFORE IT'S GONE: A Show on Nature and Sustainability," brings together artists whose work addresses nature and ecology while also touching on the concept of sustainability.
İstanbul Modern Hosts First Major Exhibition of 2016 on Nature and Sustainability
Under the sponsorship of Eczacıbaşı Group and Şekerbank, with contributions from TAV Airports Holding, the exhibition "BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE: An Exhibition on Nature and Sustainability" runs from 13 January to 5 June 2016 and welcomes twenty artists and art groups from different parts of the world. The exhibition presents works that offer different perspectives on our perception of nature and propose new awareness regarding our relationship with ecosystems.
Press Conference for the Exhibition Held
The press conference was attended by İstanbul Modern Board Chair Oya Eczacıbaşı, CEO of Eczacıbaşı Group Dr Erdal Karamercan, Şekerbank General Manager Halit Yıldız, exhibition curators Çelenk Bafra and Paolo Colombo, artists Alper Aydın, Bingyi, Jasmin Blasco, Elmas Deniz, Lars Jan and Annie Saunders, Maro Michalakakos, Camila Rocha, Canan Tolon and representatives of ikonoTV's "Art Speaks Out" program.
Bafra and Colombo characterize "BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE" as "a manifestation of longing for nature, desire for a livable world and aspiration for sustainable ecological balance". The exhibition aims to strengthen the relationship humans establish with nature and ecosystems through art and to introduce solution-oriented new perspectives by approaching sustainability through artistic means.
Works by artists from different periods from the 19th century to today reflect how nature has been perceived and the relationship with sustainability, featuring commentaries and innovative proposals regarding human interaction with all ecosystems, beginning with plants and animals.
Some works in the exhibition point to the impossibility of solving major ecological problems, while others contain proposals for ecosystem protection and the continuation of humanity in harmony with it.
Artists who approach nature conceptually choose their subjects and materials from nature, and sometimes even use nature itself as an artistic production technique.
The Exhibition's Title Comes from the Chorus of a Joni Mitchell Song
You don't know what you've got,
Till it's gone.
The exhibition "BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE" takes its title from the chorus of Canadian singer-songwriter and artist Joni Mitchell's 1970 song "Big Yellow Taxi". The chorus emphasizes that the value of nature is not understood "till it's gone", and the exhibition similarly contains signs of nature's indispensability to human life and the actions that can still be taken before it is too late. This popular song, which continues to appear in different versions, represented the ecological sensitivity of a generation that rapidly became conscious in the face of radical changes affecting the world at the time of its release. According to the exhibition curators, artists who bring subtle interpretations to ecological awareness and sustainability globally deserve special attention, as they carry the issue to a cultural and social breaking point; therefore, "BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE" is dedicated to the generation of 1968, which includes Joni Mitchell and has contributed to the development of public consciousness on environmental matters, and to all artists today who bring new perspectives to environmental problems.
Oya Eczacıbaşı: "Nature and Environmental Issues Are on the Agenda of Art Institutions"
İstanbul Modern Board Chair Oya Eczacıbaşı noted that they are greeting the new year with "BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE: An Exhibition on Nature and Sustainability", which celebrates nature and raises environmental awareness, emphasizing that nature and environmental issues have become a priority topic on the agenda of art institutions:
"Art institutions and museums around the world frequently conduct publications and projects on nature and ecology.
With a similar approach, İstanbul Modern organized the 'Lost Paradise' exhibition in 2011, where artists working with video and digital media reflected not only nostalgia for lost nature but also the projection of the conflict between nature and technology in art.
Our photography exhibition titled 'Habitat', which offers different perspectives on the concept of space being redefined with each passing day, opened simultaneously with the preparatory program of the 'BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE' exhibition.
We hope that the placement in the museum of the latest exhibition in the VitrA Contemporary Architecture Series short-term exhibitions, which focuses on residential architecture, will raise awareness through art and lead visitors to reflect on environmental protection and a sustainable future."
Çelenk Bafra: "We Need Artists to Turn Superficial Views on Nature Protection Upside Down"
İstanbul Modern Curator Çelenk Bafra emphasized what we have done to our home planet out of greed for development and power—something no other living species or natural force could do:
"Now that we find ourselves in this impasse of our own making, neither global political initiatives such as 'climate summits' nor personal initiatives embracing a return to nature seem to be able to remedy the situation.
Given the current trajectory, we need more than ever for artists to turn our superficial and insincere perspectives on our relationship with nature and nature protection upside down. More importantly, I believe the shattering and healing power of art will benefit all of us."
Paolo Colombo: "The Urgency of Thinking Deeply About Sustainability Is Starkly Evident"
İstanbul Modern International Art Advisor Paolo Colombo said, "In these times when we read reports of air pollution in many major cities around the world and climate-related disasters from different places, the urgency of thinking deeply about sustainability and approaching our interaction with nature in a new way is, unfortunately, starkly evident. Through their work focusing on these issues, the artists in the exhibition engage in an inspiring dialogue with us and with each other.
Our subject is so comprehensive and layered that 'BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE', at best, can only be a drop in an ocean of new consciousness that expands each day and which we hope will become a behavioral norm in the years ahead."
Erdal Karamercan: "The Exhibition is the Point Where 'Nature', a Component Fundamental to Sustainability, Meets Social Sustainability"
CEO of Eczacıbaşı Group Erdal Karamercan stated that "sustainability" is an approach that has always held an important place on the agenda of Eczacıbaşı Group:
"As founding sponsor, we have supported İstanbul Modern for 11 years. Following the Paris Climate Summit held in December 2015, in 2016 it greets us with a contemporary art exhibition that celebrates nature and emphasizes the concept of sustainability.
With the 'BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE' exhibition, which is the point where 'nature', a component fundamental to the structure of sustainability, meets social sustainability, Eczacıbaşı Group's approach to this issue is once again brought to light.
In this context, we are pleased to present to art lovers the 'BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE' exhibition, in which international artists who view nature through the lens of 'sustainability' present their common positions on the world we live in and ecological issues."
Halit Yıldız: "We Support Sustainable Development in Its Environmental and Social Dimensions"
Şekerbank General Manager Halit Yıldız expressed that İstanbul Modern, with its "BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE" exhibition, is undertaking universal work and stated that they are delighted to support this exhibition.
Emphasizing the importance of broadening financial access, supporting local production and protecting cultural heritage for socially inclusive growth, Halit Yıldız noted:
"In line with our approach to responsible banking, as we develop our activities in this direction, we support not only economic production but also art production. We took our finest step in this direction five years ago.
Through our 'Açıkekran' platform focused on new media arts, which we created to bring contemporary art to wider audiences, we introduce contemporary art to local people in our branches." Noting that workshops related to sustainability will be conducted throughout the exhibition under the 'Color I Touched' project, which they have maintained with İstanbul Modern for four years, Yıldız said, "We wish to continue our long-term collaborations with İstanbul Modern and contribute to cultural and artistic life through our partnerships in the coming period."
Gallery
