Abbas Akhavan – “they hit a tree with an axe”, APRIL 27–JUNE 11, 2017
Abbas Akhavan “they hit a tree with an axe” April 27–June 11, 2017
SALT Galata, Istabul, Turkey
Abbas Akhavan’s site-specific works often respond to the natural and built environment, reflecting upon the fragility of life, as well as the structures of life that we dwell within. For this exhibition, Akhavan has produced three new site-specific interventions that coexist with the architecture and rhythms of the building and respond to current sociopolitical realities. Installed on the roof terrace of SALT Galata, “they hit a tree with an axe” intercepts the view to and from heritage via the contemporary. This piece is part of an ongoing series where text written on rooftops acts as a poetic gesture, but also as a kind of SOS call presented for aerial viewing by helicopters and airplanes.
The local reference to destruction of “they hit a tree with an axe” is complemented by a 91.44-meter-long, folded white fabric that hangs in the atrium. Similar to a shroud or a white cover for an anticipated reveal, the sheet is a kind of placeholder for the Pearl Monument, a previously insignificant sculpture in Bahrain that gained notoriety when it was torn down by government forces in reaction to public demonstrations that took place in 2011. Accompanying these works, an oversized janitor’s broom with wooden grip leans against the wall between the first and second floors.
