Organized as the first exhibition of 2019, The Event of a Thread: Global Narratives in Textiles will be available for visit between 22 February and 7 July. Works of 25 international artists including objects, pictures, installations, archive material and videos were brought together in the exhibition where textile materials were used as artistic means of expression.
The Event of a Thread: Global Narratives in Textiles is organized with the support of the Goethe-Institut Istanbul, in cooperation with the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen). The exhibition consists of 50 works by 25 artists from all-around the world and Turkey, using textile materials to create aesthetic and cultural narratives.
Starting in Dresden, “The Event of a Thread” exhibition travelled to Kuwait before making its way to Istanbul. The exhibition creates new ties between the themes with the redesign of the exhibition together with the curator of the institution and the addition of new artists throughout the art institutions in which it was opened. Curated by Susanne Weiß and Inka Gressel and Öykü Özsoy from İstanbul Modern, the exhibition explores the diversity of textile materials as a means of expression and questions its historical, social and cultural meanings.
Artist from different geographies; Belkıs Balpınar, Ulla von Brandenburg, Hussein Chalayan, Burhan Doğançay, Noa Eshkol, Andreas Exner, Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, Uli Fischer, Şakir Gökçebağ, Zille Homma Hamid, Heide Hinrichs, Olaf Holzapfel, Gözde İlkin, Christa Jeitner, Elisa van Joolen & Vincent Vulsma, Gülsün Karamustafa, Servet Koçyiğit, Eva Meyer & Eran Schaerf, Karen Michelsen Castañón, Irfan Önürmen, Judith Raum, Sabire Susuz and Franz Erhard Walther. The exhibition was first introduced in Dresden, Germany, and later in Kuwait.
The Event of a Thread: Global Narratives in Textiles; textile as an artistic means of expression
Istanbul Modern Chairman of the Board Oya Eczacıbaşı, Director of Goethe-Institut Reimar Volker, representative of ifa, and also curators Inka Gressel and Susanne Weiß and Istanbul Modern Curator Öykü Özsoy attended the press conference.
Oya Eczacıbaşı stated that Istanbul Modern has contributed to the development of art since its establishment; and noted that the artists in this exhibition prefer textiles as an artistic means of expression. Eczacıbaşı also mentioned; “Turkey, having a well-established and updated reference of textile materials in its modern and contemporary art; was instrumental in meeting ifa in a joint project. Starting in Germany and reaching Turkey; “The Event of a Thread” developed with the works of artists in our country; and was enriched with new productions”.
Inka Gressel – Susanne Weiß, the curators of ifa; pointed out that the development of patterns and forms in different economic conditions and social structures; can be seen in the exhibition; emphasizing both intercultural dimensions of fabrics and their intertwinement with contemporary issues.
Istanbul Modern Curator Öykü Özsoy; “The yarn used as a metaphor in the exhibition connects the forms of expression; traditions, personal and social experiences that come into being through textile materials. The common themes create aesthetic and cultural spaces that are gradually expanding through the works of the artists”.
Different weaving techniques meet for art
“The Event of a Thread” brings together a variety of stories; ranging from the tradition of quipu used by ancient Andean cultures in South America; to the textile techniques from the indigenous people of Wichí in Argentine; and from Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu’s revival and adoption of the long-forgotten tradition of yazma (originally used for hand-painted kerchief); to Burhan Doğançay’s tapestries created at the Aubusson workshops.