Meriç Algün. A Glossary of Distance and Desire

April 1st - December 17th, 2023

Magasin III

By WAC I 4 MAY 2023

Through spatial installations and found objects, Meriç Algün addresses issues of identity, borders, language, and relationships. Her early works deal with the experience of the distinct social and political differences between her birthplace Istanbul and hometown Stockholm, and of the authoritarian bureaucracy many people encounter when crossing national borders. Algün’s artistic method usually begins with research or personal experiences, leading to works that serve as archives of worldviews and modes of thought with idiosyncratic logical systems. 

The exhibition A Glossary of Distance and Desire, curated by Sofia Ringstedt, can be interpreted as a defence of the unfathomable nature of love and how the acceptance of the uncontrollable is its prerequisite.

Separation, desire, and relationships are central concepts in the works presented in this exhibition. In the installation A Glossary of Distance and Desire (2019/2023), which lends the exhibition its title, about a hundred objects are placed on colorful podiums of geometric shapes. The installation is a playful approach to creating a vocabulary for speaking of love, desire, and separation. Among the objects are fossils, pictures, books, sounds, and dictionary clippings. 

The work Eternity 1988–∞ (2019–ongoing) consists of a collection of full-page advertisements for Calvin Klein’s perfume Eternity. During the 35 years Eternity has been marketed, the American model Christy Turlington has been the face of the perfume. In the ads, Turlington is portrayed with various men and children to represent her happy family. Since 2017, she is portrayed next to her real-life husband. Eternity 1988–∞ is a poignant reminder of how capitalism can profit on our constant longing for eternal love. 

MERIÇ ALGÜN

Istanbul, 1983. She lives and works in Stockholm. With solo exhibitions at institutions including Spike Island, Bristol (2019); ARoS Aarhus Art Museum (2016); Kunstverein Freiburg (2015); Moderna Museet, Stockholm (2015); MOSTYN, Llandudno, Wales (2014); Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver (2013); Art in General, New York (2013); and Witte de With, Rotterdam (2012). She participated in the 56th Venice Biennial (2015); 14th Istanbul Biennial (2015); 5th Thessaloniki Biennial (2015); 19th Sydney Biennial (2014); 12th Bienal de Cuenca, Ecuador (2014); and 12th Istanbul Biennial (2011).

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