Anna Bella Geiger's 'Circa' Installation at Istanbul Biennial Explores Urban Ruins and Human Impact
At the 16th Istanbul Biennial, Anna Bella Geiger presents her installation 'Circa', curated by Nicolas Bourriaud and themed 'The Seventh Continent'. This work constructs an imaginative city using materials such as sand and dry cement, along with prefabricated elements, including a replica of a Bauhaus house. Originally unveiled in 2006 at the Casa Museu Fundação Eva Klabin in Rio de Janeiro, it adapts with each exhibition. For the Istanbul event, the white sand pathways draw inspiration from aerial imagery connecting Brazil and Turkey. Located in a building designed by Emre Arolat, the installation features a video associated with Philip Glass's opera 'Akhnaten'. Geiger's art explores themes of spirituality, memory, and history, reflecting on the devastation of the 2003 Iraq War, while the biennial's theme alludes to a floating plastic mass in the Pacific.
Key facts
- Anna Bella Geiger presented 'Circa' at the 16th Istanbul Biennial.
- The biennial's theme was 'The Seventh Continent', curated by Nicolas Bourriaud.
- 'Circa' was first installed in 2006 at Casa Museu Fundação Eva Klabin, Rio de Janeiro.
- The installation uses materials like sand, dry cement, and prefabricated objects.
- A video component dialogues with Philip Glass's opera 'Akhnaten'.
- The Istanbul version features white sand roads inspired by Geiger's travel.
- The work is housed in a building by Emre Arolat, future Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture.
- The biennial engages with concepts like the Anthropocene and Capitalocene.
Entities
Artists
- Anna Bella Geiger
- Philip Glass
- Marcio Doctors
- Nicolas Bourriaud
- Paul Crutzen
- Eugene Stoermer
- Andreas Malm
- Ana Hortides
- Emre Arolat
- Jonathas de Andrade
- Laura Nakel
- Gabriela de Laurentiis
Institutions
- 16th Istanbul Biennial
- Casa Museu Fundação Eva Klabin
- Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture
- Eva Klabin Foundation Museum
Locations
- Istanbul
- Turkey
- Rio de Janeiro
- Brazil
- Pacific Ocean
- Iraq
- Buenos Aires
- Argentina
- Karaköy
- Bosphorus
- Cape Town
- South Africa