Isabella Canon Room, Center for the Arts, through March
Reception and artist lecture: Monday March 7, 5:30 PM
"I have a long-standing interest in the cultural landscape of residential areas. My previous work includes an extended project on the suburban landscapes of Midwestern America. I looked at delineations and borders - how residents and planners defined their spaces against the perceived chaos of the outside world.
I first traveled to Turkey in 2003 and have returned many times since. In this landscape, I began to see many parallels to my previous work played out on an exaggerated scale. In 2008, I began photographing the rapidly changing landscape of these far-flung, densely populated regions on the suburban outskirts.
I was initially struck by the Toplu Konut, developments of large scale mass-residences. In these photographs, many are still under construction - plopped down into empty fields at a startling pace. Others are tidy high-rise condominium clusters that are self-contained with their own restaurants, schools, shops, swimming pools, tennis courts, and playgrounds. Within their walls they are meticulously landscaped and manicured. Toplu, the title of the exhibition, has the dual meaning of 1. mass, common; as well as 2. tidy or neat.
