Dutch exhibition at Istanbul Modern

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

The exhibition borrows its title from dance company La La La Human Steps. The company’s performance is also shown in different spots.

Within the framework of the celebrations of 400 years of diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and Turkey, Istanbul Modern is hosting the exhibition “La La La Human Steps: A Selection from the Collection of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.”

Held between Feb. 16 and May 6 in Istanbul Modern’s Temporary Exhibition Hall, the show consists of a special selection gathered for Istanbul Modern by Sjarel Ex, Director of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, from the museum’s collection of over 140,000 works. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen was founded in 1849 and is one of the Netherlands’ most renowned museums with a worldwide reputation.

Bringing together old masters and prominent contemporary artists, the exhibition includes 53 works consisting of paintings, prints, photographs, videos and installations by 28 artists from various countries. The partnership between Istanbul Modern and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen will continue with the exhibition “Istanbul Modern – Rotterdam” to open in Rotterdam on March 10.

Made possible with the partnership of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and the contributions of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the exhibition’s supporting sponsor is Fibabanka and the visual and audio systems sponsor is LG Electronics.

An exhibition focusing on human relations
Curated by Sjarel Ex, the exhibition features masters of contemporary art such as Bruce Nauman, Vito Acconci and Cindy Sherman, together with some rare, 16th century paintings and prints from the museum’s collection. The exhibition also has works by artists known for their projects acclaimed worldwide, such as Yang Fudong from China, world-renowned video artist Aernout Mik and fashion photographer Inez Van Lamsweerde from the Netherlands, video and photography artist Zwelethu Mthethwa from South Africa and rising star of France, Cyprien Gaillard. “La La La Human Steps” is a show that focuses on human relations in today’s world. It is possible to translate – at historical, personal and public levels – many themes pertaining to humanity, human relations and our struggle to cope with life as human beings. Hence the show takes “us” as its starting point.