Exhibition: GUESTS -Artists and Craftspeople, 2020

Site: Istanbul Modern

Exhibition Curators: Öykü özsoy, Ümit Mesci
Artist Assistant: Melodi Gülbaba
Woodwork Craftsperson: Gökmen Uzun, workshop located in Kâğıthane, Istanbul

Residency: Istanbul Modern´s international artist rescidency programme

Materials: Wood, lasercut wooden cardboard, motor, light, glass and towels
Measurements: 205x170x90 cm

Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz nr 1-3, 6-7. Randi & Katrine 4-5, 8-9

Surported by:

Hammam is part of the Permanent Collection of Istanbul Modern thanks to a generous donation by New Carlsberg Foundation

Hammam:
With water as their thematic focus, we have created Hammam, which shines a light on the Turkish bath houses in Istanbul, both as a central aspect of the city’s architectural history and as an unavoidable element of everyday life in the city.
There is a certain child-like exuberance and finely crafted finesse to Hammam. Like a large piece of furniture with shelves and drawers, it rises up as an architectural construction with a dome, pointed arches and exquisite wooden carvings. In the middle of the piece is a zoetrope, a cylinder with painted illustrations that are set in motion when the device is rotated.

Centrally in the piece, right underneath the large dome, one can view an animation showing two bath house visitors. A sequence of 16 images is brought to life when the cylinder is rotated. The display offers an almost voyeuristic perspective, because the drawings are mounted on the inside of the slightly transparent purple drum. We can just barely make out the two persons bathing. We see drops of water falling and cockroaches scurrying across the floor. A large eye gazes out through a window shutter that keeps opening and closing. And we reflect on whom the eye is gazing at. With references to both folk art and palace decorations, the piece appears at once sophisticated and unpretentious.

"Hammam" was created during our working stay in Istanbul as part of Istanbul Modern´s international artist residency programme aiming to form connections between contemporary art and the city’s rich craft tradition. In creating the piece, we drew on inspiration from the many public bath houses in the city, the hammams. The components were created in close collaboration with local carpenters and craftspeople and thus also reflects the city’s local and craft traditions, which have roots reaching back to the Ottoman Empire.