“ALL THINGS BECOME ISLANDS BEFORE MY SENSES
“The title of the exhibition is "All Things Become Islands Before My Senses," an excerpt from Cesare Pavese's poem "Passion for Solitude." This title captures the departing point of our theme, which is to explore the layered experience of time on Leros.
Cesare Pavese’s work often was revolving around themes of isolation and personal introspection. We wanted to bring together the whole content of the exhibition under a deeply personal and individual perspective, even though there is a rich sociological, historical, geographical background to the show.”
- BURCU FİKRETOĞLU &
GİZEM NAZ KUDUNOĞLU
The stars are alive,
but not worth these cherries, which I’m eating alone.
I look at the sky, know that lights already are shining
among rust-red roofs, noises of people beneath them.
Cesare Pavese, "Passion for Solitude"
Perasma will present All Things Become Islands Before My Senses, a group exhibition of site-specific installations in dialogue with historic venues across the island of Leros this summer. Opening from 30 June – 18 August 2024, the exhibition will feature a mixture of new and existing works by more than 17 international artists including William Kentridge, Goshka Macuga, Cevdet Erek, Maryam Turkey and Lindsey Mendick, installed across six significant locations on the island.
The exhibition will explore the intricate relationship between time, water, and the history of the island of Leros. It will revolve around the idea of how the fluidity of existence can give rise to both beauty and adversity, especially on an island with such a complex and rich history. The cyclical nature of time on Leros is intertwined with its maritime heritage. As ships come and go, carrying with them stories of trade, exploration, and conquest, the island becomes a nexus where past and present intersect. History, mythology, fantasy, ghosts and reality, overlay themselves upon the island like the currents of its waters.
Nestled in the Dodecanese Islands very close to Turkey’s mainland, the island bears the marks of a diverse and sometimes turbulent history, including decades of Italian occupation, which shaped the island’s distinctive architecture. Leros’s architectural landscape, characterised by urban neoclassicism and early Italian modernism in tandem with the archaic tradition and nature of the island, becomes the setting for All Things Become Islands Before My Senses.
but not worth these cherries, which I’m eating alone.
I look at the sky, know that lights already are shining
among rust-red roofs, noises of people beneath them.
Cesare Pavese, "Passion for Solitude"
Perasma will present All Things Become Islands Before My Senses, a group exhibition of site-specific installations in dialogue with historic venues across the island of Leros this summer. Opening from 30 June – 18 August 2024, the exhibition will feature a mixture of new and existing works by more than 17 international artists including William Kentridge, Goshka Macuga, Cevdet Erek, Maryam Turkey and Lindsey Mendick, installed across six significant locations on the island.
The exhibition will explore the intricate relationship between time, water, and the history of the island of Leros. It will revolve around the idea of how the fluidity of existence can give rise to both beauty and adversity, especially on an island with such a complex and rich history. The cyclical nature of time on Leros is intertwined with its maritime heritage. As ships come and go, carrying with them stories of trade, exploration, and conquest, the island becomes a nexus where past and present intersect. History, mythology, fantasy, ghosts and reality, overlay themselves upon the island like the currents of its waters.
Nestled in the Dodecanese Islands very close to Turkey’s mainland, the island bears the marks of a diverse and sometimes turbulent history, including decades of Italian occupation, which shaped the island’s distinctive architecture. Leros’s architectural landscape, characterised by urban neoclassicism and early Italian modernism in tandem with the archaic tradition and nature of the island, becomes the setting for All Things Become Islands Before My Senses.
