SILA YOLU | Berlin
The Holiday Transit to Turkey and the Tales of the Highway
By Malve Lippmann and Can Sungu
bi'bak's research-based exhibitions focus on widely neglected narratives in (Western) Europe in order to generate new perspectives that are crucial to a complex understanding of socio-political and socio-economic contexts worldwide.
The Holiday Transit to Turkey and the Tales of the Highway
By Malve Lippmann and Can Sungu
The Holiday Transit to Turkey and the Tales of the Highway
By Malve Lippmann and Can Sungu
Narratives and Memories of Transnational Families
By Malve Lippmann and Can Sungu
Narratives and Memories of Transnational Families
By Malve Lippmann and Can Sungu
Narratives and Memories of Transnational Families
By Malve Lippmann and Can Sungu
Narratives and Memories of Transnational Families
By Malve Lippmann and Can Sungu
Narratives and Memories of Transnational Families
By Can Sungu and Malve Lippmann
Narratives and Memories of Transnational Families
By Malve Lippmann and Can Sungu
Narratives and Memories of Transnational Families
Curated by Malve Lippmann and Can Sungu
After having been displayed in Timisoara, BITTER THINGS - Narratives and Memories of Transnational Families moves to the Muzeul Etnografic al Transilvaniei in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
BITTER THINGS – Narratives and Memories of Transnational Families is a research-based exhibition project by bi’bak that explores the impact of labor migration on the notion of motherhood and family from the perspectives of women migrant workers and the children left behind. The installation takes the experiences of transnational families from both the past and present as a point of departure and brings narratives together with objects that play a central role within the families.
Labor migration is worldwide creating new models of the transnational family, which despite geographical distances strives to maintain contact between the separated family members. In the time of the recruitment agreements in the 1960s, many parents were forced to leave their children behind since working hours were too demanding to make childcare on the side possible. Today it is predominantly migrant workers from Eastern Europe, who have to leave their families to earn a living in wealthier countries. Turkey, as a former country of emigration, has in turn become a destination for many workers, especially in the care sector, from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus or the Central Asian region.
But how is the relationship between parents and children to be redefined whenever gifts and material support take the place of shared experience? When physical closeness has to take second place to communication programs like Skype and WhatsApp? How does this changing family landscape impact children and their parents? BITTER THINGS retraces positions on this topic from the 1960s right up to present-day perspectives.
Besides the exhibitions, a publication has been released which includes academic and literary contributions, interviews, songs, and photos examining the topic from interdisciplinary perspectives. Order your copy here. A booklet with selected texts in German and photographs of the exhibition can be downloaded here.
The exhibition is accompanied by a side program including film screenings and discussions in collaboration with Cinema ARTA.
Opening hours: Wednesday–Sunday 10:00–18:00
Funded by Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa
In cooperation with Deutsches Kulturzentrum Klausenburg and Cinema ARTA
Malve Lippmann studied at the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart and at the Institute for Art in Context (UdK) in Berlin. As a freelance stage designer and artist, she has been internationally responsible for the design of numerous performances, opera- and theatre productions. Since 2010, Malve Lippmann has been working as a curator and cultural manager, leading artistic workshops and seminars and is active in various cultural- and community projects. She is co-founder and artistic director of bi'bak and SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA.
Can Sungu studied film and visual communication design in Istanbul and at the Institute for Art in Context at the Berlin University of the Arts. He has given workshops and seminars in the field of film and published texts on film and migration. As an artist, he participated in numerous exhibitions, including at MMSU Rijeka, Künstlerhaus Vienna and REDCAT Los Angeles. He is co-founder and artistic director of bi‘bak.
Narratives and Memories of Transnational Families
Curated by Malve Lippmann and Can Sungu
Narratives and Memories of Transnational Families
Cluj-Napoca
Location: Muzeul Etnografic al Transilvaniei
Thursday, 06.05.2021 18:00 Opening
Location: Muzeul Etnografic al Transilvaniei
Thursday, 06.05.2021 Opening
Finissage and Film Screening: 13.06.2021, 16:00
There are only a few days left to visit bi'bak's research-based exhibition BITTER THINGS - Narratives and Memories of Transnational Families in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, after successful stops in Turkey and Germany as well as Timisoara last year. The exhibition will conclude on 13 June 2021 with a film screening and discussion, in which the curators of the exhibition, Malve Lippmann and Can Sungu, will participate.
The exhibition, which takes place in cooperation with the Deutsches Kulturzentrum Klausenburg and Cinema ARTA, can be visited at the Muzeul Etnografic al Transilvaniei until 13 June 2021.