Tavşan kanı

proposal for the Home exhibition refers to the history behind the construction of the Akaretler Row Houses, the house complex hosting the exhibition. Built in the 1870’s, the complex and their subsequent successful renovation in 2008, is an example of the power architecture that has creating identity discourses. Originally built by the Armenian architect Sarkis Balyan to accommodate the workers of Dolmabahçe Palace, the housing project is today as it was in the 19th century, a synonym of local modernity. In his installation titled Tavşan kanı (Rabbit blood), Uribe-Castro displays glasses filled with tea throughout the room. The title refers to the temporary red colour the tea must have when properly prepared and that in Turkish tradition represents abundance, like the large amounts of blood that comes out when the small rabbits are slaughtered. The installation consists of typical Turkish tea glasses full with fresh tea that are laying on trestles, floor, on the edge of the window niches and over the mouldings on the walls, creating a delicate tension in the room. The trestles that temporarily occupy the majority of the space refer to the ever-present workforce behind the construction of large architectural projects. These structures are intertwined with the typical tea glasses used in Turkey, a synonym of hospitality and local culture that are in a state of fragile tension and danger in the same way that local traditions are today threatened in the face of the globalised corporate image of franchises present in the area. The temporary quality of the tea fades over time, an allegory of changes that come even to architecture that falsely give us a sense of stability and durability over time. Together these elements compose a landscape that is both fascinating and unstable at the same time.

Artists:

Celyn Bricker, Ferhart Tunc, Veronika Cherednychenko,  Olha Kuzyura, Koray Tokdemir, Kamila Bednarska,  Katarzyna Tereszkiewicz, Andriy Roik, Gülhatun Yıldırım