Pink Dreams and Blue Waves: Füsun Onur brings Istanbul to Museum Ludwig
A pioneering artist finally receives international recognition. But her heart will always be by the sea.
The many faces of Füsun
Museum Ludwig honors Füsun (*1938, Turkish) with her first comprehensive exhibition in Germany. In a country with a deep connection to its Turkish diasporic community, it is about time for this encounter between the public and an underrated contemporary artist. Füsun, who rarely leaves her hometown Istanbul has recreated some of her iconic works for the exhibition.
Having studied sculpture in Istanbul, she went on to study philosophy and art in the States where she immersed herself in the contemporary art scene of the 60’s. Füsun works across a range of materials and techniques which made it so difficult to fit in with existing art movements and schools at that time. In any way, her work proves a deep understanding of and connection to diverse artistic approaches.
Icons of Time (1990) is made up of seven large wooden frames that are not hung on the wall but instead stand upright on the floor. They look like broken canvases first, but it’s leather instead of linen. Leather, or parchment as the correct word, was used in the Middle Ages to write manuscripts. Füsun makes this durable material fragile. They stand like broken windows of an abandoned building. Who might have damaged them? While their torn appearance bears a lot of resemblance to the cut canvases of Lucio Fontana (1899-1968, Italian), the reference to iconoclasm (religious destruction) is something that Danh Vo (Gen X, Danish) often works with. At the same time, the use of precarious broken materials is undoubtedly related to the Italian Arte Povera movement.
A postcard from Istanbul
A theme that dominates Füsun’s art throughout the years is a longing for home: An opened wooden box normally used to store precious silverware is displayed empty. The folds of the silky pink fabric seem to hold the shape of forks, knives, and spoons that were taken out – maybe even stolen? – but a closer look reveals the word ISTANBUL. That is Füsun’s Legacy (1993). An inheritance that is not physical, but emotional. Not filled with objects, but with meaning and memories. Something has been lost, maybe taken away greedily or hidden away for protection?
It was actually my friend Gian Marco Hölk (shout out to you!) who drew my attention to the color pink symbolizing Füsun’s hometown. The bright hue reappears in Pink Boat ((1993) (2014). Hiding the horizon from view, Füsun filmed the moving water right outside her house. A pink boat designates the spot of the Galata Bridge that was destroyed one year prior through a fire. The boat is moving, but never getting to a destination. In the course of eight hours, the colors and rhythms of the waves change slowly and unnoticeably. I am reminded of Claude Monet’s (1840-1926, French) paintings of the same landscapes throughout different times of the day, capturing every moment’s uniqueness.
Silent rhythms and gentle melodies
Speaking of rhythms, Füsun often uses music in her art. Opus II - Fantasia ((2001 (2023) becomes the artist’s new version of sheet music: She lays out objects on the floor, designating a rhythm to every form and repetition. What role am I taking on walking through this composition? Do I become the conductor or an instrument bringing the melody to life? The white knitting pins throughout the room not only resemble a conductor’s baton (the stick they wave around at concerts, how did they even come up with that word…). Together with the golden rolled-up threads, Füsun connects music to knitting and textiles. What is written music if not a text? A fabric made up of many different threads creating a unique pattern?
The last room of the exhibition is a new work dedicated to Füsun’s late sister İlhan Onur (Turkish, ?-2021). A room with a muse (2023) is not only filled with fluorescent blue light but also the sound of a violin. The music written and performed by Begüm Çalımlı (Millenial, Turkish) plays through a speaker. An ode to sisterhood, home, and belonging.
An unexpected team
There is both meditation and humor in her art. But a work that just doesn’t convince me is Once Upon A Time… (2022) which Füsun created for the Turkish Pavilion of the Venice Art Biennale 2022. In the dark room of the former industrial site, she arranged figures of cats and mice made of the simplest materials. They were lit from above as actors on a low-hanging stage telling the story of two natural enemies uniting against the destruction of humans manifested through the climate crisis and COVID to save the planet by going to the sinking Venice…
Not only does this story already feel extremely dated and sound like a ChatGPT attempt to fit as many trendy keywords into an article. But all the magic that the space of the Turkish Pavilion created last year is lost in the sterile, brightly lit hall in Museum Ludwig. When looking at art, I like using Kolja Reichert’s three criteria of good art: 1) Can you destroy it by changing anything about it? 2) Does something similar exist already? 3) Can you substitute the experience of the artwork in any other way? A work of art that completely relies on a story and doesn’t exist beyond doesn’t need to be created. I said what I said.
But a work that will always keep its charm is probably Counterpoint with Flowers (1982) Füsun recreated in the museum. She covers the room with blue plastic sheeting and turns it into the sea. The blue canopy not only resembles waves but also reminds of the skyline-defining waved roof of Museum Ludwig. At the bottom of the ocean, everything looks different. Trees turn into algae, paper structures become corals. Do worries even matter underwater?
Dive into the sea at Füsun Onur: Retrospective until January 28, 2024, at Museum Ludwig.
Museum Ludwig
Heinrich-Böll-Platz
50667 Cologne
Open every day except for Monday
Admission varying
Website
Thank you for reading this review! I see how you’re booking your trip to Istanbul already. Share your thoughts with me in the comments and if you liked it, leave this review a like and share it with a friend.
See you soon!!!
Jennifer
The Gen Z Art Critic