NOFAMEUNDERGROUND - Ardan Özmenoglu

2nd - 29 September 2015

Hundreds of Post-It notes screen printed with mosque motives adorn the walls of a box on the Kleistpark U-Bahn upper level platform. Closed off and with every surface covered, the repetition and layering of the screen-printed Post-Its transform the space into a mosque of its own. Each Post-It behaves differently.  Some lay flat, while others curl up, a few descend to the floor. A neon cage is suspended from the ceiling within which the words ‘Vatanim Vatanim Vatanim,’ glow florescent into the air. Vatanim is Turkish for “My country.” 

“People always say it three times,” Ardan explains.

The installations three-dimensional depth translates into a depth of meaning—on the surface, it is colorful, lighthearted and extremely fun, yet an entirely different character and tone eclipse the space.

The installation sheds light on a certain nostalgia that develops when one lives in a country other than that in which they were born. The moment when a person exclaims lovingly, mockingly, that things are so much better at home. Where casual reminiscence through the tunnels of one’s imagination and memory transform home and country in an overtly flattering way. It’s a bitter-sweet thing coming to know two cultures.

Ardan Özmenoglu is a versatile Turkish contemporary artist who works in a wide range of mediums including large-scale glass sculptures, Post-It® notes and neon lighting.