Kaya & Blank's Infrascapes at basis e.V. Frankfurt Examines Photography's Material Entanglement with Extraction
The exhibition 'Infrascapes' by IşıK Kaya and Thomas Georg Blank opened at basis e.V. in Frankfurt, Germany, on February 13, 2026, and runs through May 10, 2026. Curated by Lukas Picard, it explores industrial society's hidden infrastructures through photographic works using extraction materials. Key works include 'Crude Aesthetics,' focusing on Los Angeles oil infrastructure with photographs made from La Brea Tar Pits bitumen; 'Intermodal,' featuring salt prints of the Los Angeles and Long Beach port complex; and 'Bloom,' using algae to depict Ohio's corn production. Additional works 'Monuments' and 'Stream' document North American infrastructures at night. All photography is credited to Kaya & Blank.
Key facts
- The exhibition 'Infrascapes' runs from February 13, 2026, to May 10, 2026.
- It is held at basis e.V., located at Gutleutstrasse 8–12, 60329 Frankfurt, Germany.
- The artists are IşıK Kaya and Thomas Georg Blank, working as the duo Kaya & Blank.
- The curator is Lukas Picard.
- A key work, 'Crude Aesthetics,' uses bitumen from the La Brea Tar Pits to create photographs, linking to photography's origins.
- The work 'Intermodal' focuses on the Los Angeles and Long Beach port complex, which moves over 15 million containers yearly.
- 'Bloom' utilizes living algae to create photographic images of industrial agriculture in Ohio and the Great Lakes region.
- The exhibition presents the artists' first comprehensive show at this venue.
Entities
Artists
- IşıK Kaya
- Thomas Georg Blank
- Kaya & Blank
- Joseph Nicéphore Niépce
- Lukas Picard
Institutions
- basis e.V.
- Catapult
Locations
- Frankfurt
- Germany
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Long Beach
- La Brea Tar Pits
- Ohio
- Great Lakes
- Main river
- Gutleutviertel
- Gutleutstrasse
- Vienna