It absolutely poured rain!!!

The Opening Party was rocking until....

My Birthday Dinner

These guys were so sweet. Jacob and Pinar bought me a copy of the Biennial Catalog. Evrim, Itamar, Martina, and Cigdem - thanks for the lovely dinner! Itamar later took me to some crazy electronic club where we danced with the drugged out hipster turks. It was great fun. We didn't get back until after 5 and I didn't get up all day the next day.

Istanbul Biennial Opening Ceremony

Not enough food. SO many people. The press passes got us everywhere.

Tea Before the Opening

Works from Antrepo

The Antrepo space at the Biennial is by far the best space we saw on the trip. Its not the work was all that spectacular. Its more that the work had a fresh perspective. It seemed young, non-traditional, and forward looking. The art world is very conservative on so many levels. This show was by any measure very progressive. For me, I take this position because I've studied art history extensively, and as a practicing artist I'm looking for new processes and modes of art-making. In this way the show was exemplary.

From the Biennial Curator's statement...

I think this is an extremely astute description of not only issues dealt with in the exhibitions here but also a description of the condition of Istanbul today, one I found very surprising...

In today's geopolitical reality, it is necessary and urgent to deal with question of modernization. Urbanization, or explosive urban expansion in the Istanbul fashion, is the most visible and significant sign of modernization. Exploring the urban and architectural conditions of Istanbul has hence become a starting point and central reference to the conception of this Biennial. And contemporary art as an avant-garde in cultural experiments should engage with the city, and it is through this engagement that the biennial will acquire fresh energy and significance in a new reality. the biennial should become a laboratory for innovative projects and strategies, and a site for experiments and productions with different, multiple models of modernization. --Hou Hanru

Istanbul Modern Opening

This place was packed. The show was pretty good - a retrospective of 20 years of the Istanbul Biennale. Jennnifer Steinkamp had a piece in the show! Yay D|MA!

Then there was party and dancing

Real Presence wouldn't be complete without a party. We went to a club on the seventh floor rooftop of an old building. They were playing a weird combo of Regge and Drum'n'Bass. It was a great time!

We've been to Asia!

We took a trip to the Anatolian side of the Bosphorus. This is the straight that separates the two halves of Istanbul, the European half and the Asian half. The panoramic is a view of the Asian side from the European side. We took a photo of our feet in Asia... because we could.

My presentation in Istanbul

Thank you Jacob for taking this photo.

Real Presence Begins Again - Istanbul

Lots of old and new faces. I feel like I've known some of these people for a long time! Real-Presence in Istanbul is totally focused on the Istanbul Biennale. We're swamped with events and have press passes to see everything. Its really exciting. These photos are a couple from the first day meeting up with everyone again.

The Blue Mosque

This is another beautiful building that is in the Sultanamet District of Istanbul. I was scolded here for having plumber's crack while sitting on the floor.

It is really hard keeping up this blog!!

I'm still trying to post everything from the first day of the trip here and we're now half way through! Ok, here we go....

Basilica Cistern

Hagia Sofia

I've dreamed of seeing this building for years and years. It cannot be described with photographs. Its volume is incredible. Its history is even more incredible. It was a church from the Byzantines and was converted to Mosque when the Turks invaded Constantinople in the 1400's.

We made it to Istanbul - and we found Pinar!