Cevdet Erek Turns Secession Façade into Sonic Architecture

Cevdet Erek's exhibition 'Secession Ornamentation' at the Secession in Vienna reimagines ornamentation as a temporal, vibratory structure. The artist mounts loudspeakers symmetrically on the building's façade, turning it into an audible surface with rhythmic patterns that reveal and reconfigure its geometry. Erek references Adolf Loos's 1908 essay 'Ornament and Crime,' which condemned decoration as primitive and wasteful, exposing its colonial and patriarchal underpinnings. In the Grafisches Kabinett, wood reliefs modeled after Braille symbols from nearby pedestrian crossing sound boxes invite tactile engagement. The letters 'L' and 'R' on the façade play on stereophonic sound, bilateral hearing, and political divides. This work continues Erek's long-term exploration of local architectures and social histories, starting with 'Sky Ornamentation with Three Sounding Dots and Anti-Pigeon Net' (2010) at Palais Erdödy-Fürstenberg in Vienna. Curated by Bettina Spörr, the exhibition is supported by the Kira A. Princess of Prussia Foundation and SAHA. Erek, born 1974 in Istanbul, lives and works there.