Hello my plum puddings! Dear me, art has certainly changed since yours truly last poked her head round a gallery door! Well, thanks to the Istanbul Binniale, hubby Phil and I got to catch up on some cutting edge contemporary art! First we popped in to see the IMAM (Istanbul Modern Art Museum) after which we went to a wonderful exhibition opening at Frtinsginistit (I might have mispelled that one!). My, it was so well organized, with many videos broadcasting the exhibition from four different screens, but I had trouble finding where the exhibits themselves were! You can imagine my surprise when the gallery director told me the videos WERE the exhibit! How bizarre! Phil said it wasn’t bizarre but rubbish, but old Mabel had read a thing or two about conceptualised art (Tracey Hirst anyone?) and did not fail to recognize the genius of the artist’s next exhibit: ‘fire extinguisher’, which was untitled! I found the artist, Pultug Amante (I think), and told him I was very impressed because obviously it was a postmodern critique of the utilitarian coercion of aesthetics in industrial society! But he told me it was just the gallery’s own fire extinguisher ‘You know’ he said ‘to put fire’s out with?’ How ironic! One exhibit was truly astounding: an interactive art piece entitled ‘Gents/Ladies’ where the public becomes a part of the artwork every time they use the loo! Brilliant! I too became a work of art as I squatted and relieved the inspiration that had accumulated over a few too many glasses of white wine! I also heard Phil let out a particularly sonorous piece of art indeed from next door! Well, enough refinement for one month my pets! A big thanks to Hu Hanshu, the Benialle curator from China! Sayonara Hu!
