May 9–June 9, 2012
Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery
Columbia University in the City of New York
8th floor, Schermerhorn Hall
Enter campus at 116 Street and Broadway
Open Wednesday through Saturday, 1–5pm
T 212 854 0197
Participating artists and collectives: Atfal Ahdath, Cao Fei, Cevdet Erek, Alicja Karska & Alexsandra Went, Alexandra Lerman, Alban Muja, Ahmet Ogut, Sun Xun, Sophia Tabatadze, Rayyane Tabet, Mona Vatamanu & Florin Tudor, and Andro Wekua
Cross-Time Stories offers a provocative exploration of post-1989 history with work by a young generation of artists from three major “blocs”—Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, China, and the Middle East. The tensions of the Cold War era in the ‘80s and the critical breaking point of 1989 and its aftermath are a history shared by each of the artists in the exhibition. The works on view focus on their individual memories and how these shape their understanding of contemporary life.
The artists in Cross-Time Stories speak and expound on their memories of the past, addressing different regimes, heroes, mayhem, and today’s consumer culture. In many instances, their stories conflict with official historical narratives. The dichotomies of memory and post-memory, and of documentary and fiction, and the ways they figure in attempts to talk about social change or trauma, are among the key debates explored in the exhibition.
The works on view use a variety of strategies and media—video, photography, collage, books, and sculpture—to examine and question the role of individual memory in the shaping and telling of the past, present, and future. Especially exciting is the residency of Sophia Tabatadze who will create an installation specifically for this exhibition, and an opening performance by Vartan Avakian, a member of the artists’ collective Atfal Ahdath.
Cross-Time Stories is curated by Ceren Erdem. The project was conceived and developed as a graduate thesis for the MA in Modern Art: Critical and Curatorial Studies (MODA) program in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University.
Cross-Time Stories is accompanied by an exhibition catalogue published by the Wallach Art Gallery and written by Ceren Erdem. Twenty-two color illustrations represent the work of each artist included in the exhibition.
Opening Events
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Reception: 7–9 pm, Wallach Art Gallery
Lecture performance by Vartan Avakian:
6–7pm, Stronach Center, 8th Floor Schermerhorn Hall
How I Started to Stutter: Action(in)Jection
About the Wallach Art Gallery
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery aims to contribute to Columbia’s long-standing tradition of historical, critical, and creative engagement in the visual arts. Since its establishment in 1986, the gallery, modeled on a laboratory, has been a forum for exhibitions related to research by graduate students, faculty, and other scholars. The programming provides a bridge between the university’s diverse interests and approaches to the arts and a broad public audience.
About Columbia University
A leading academic and research university, Columbia University continually seeks to advance the frontiers of knowledge and to foster a campus community deeply engaged in understanding and addressing the complex global issues of our time. Columbia’s extensive public service initiatives, cultural collaborations, and community partnerships help define the university’s underlying values and mission to educate students to be both leading scholars and informed, engaged citizens.