Manifesta 16 embroiled in plagiarism dispute over Nasan Tur's 'Elevation'

German artist Dorothee Bielfeld has formally requested the removal of Nasan Tur's installation 'Elevation' from Manifesta 16, alleging it plagiarizes her 2010 work 'Aufrichten'. The biennial, which opened June 21 in Germany's Ruhr region and runs through October 4 across Duisburg, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, and Bochum, features Tur's piece at St. Gertrud Church in Essen. Bielfeld's 'Aufrichten' similarly used vertically positioned church pews with audience inscriptions, created for the Ruhr.2010 cultural program at Christ-König Church. Manifesta rejected the claim, stating curators Leonie Herweg and René Block found 'Elevation' artistically independent. Tur denied the allegations, calling them baseless and damaging, and noted that a mediated meeting failed due to Bielfeld's lack of response. He has retained legal counsel, suggesting the dispute may move to court.