Parallel Lives, Parallel Aesthetics - León Ferrari & Gülsün Karamustafa

Parallel Lives, Parallel Aesthetics displays the works of two artists from beyond Europe - who have more than earned their spurs elsewhere - their first stand-alone solo exhibition in the Netherlands. León Ferrari: A Kind Cruelty is a comprehensive retrospective spanning the life of León Ferrari (1920 – 2013, Buenos Aires). It is paired with Gülsün Karamustafa: After the Cosmopolis, a full overview of the work of Gülsün Karamustafa (1946, Ankara). Hailing from different corners of the world, their cultural and geo-political histories show surprising parallels. Explore how these unique artists are responding to the changes and conflicts taking place in their homelands, and how this to a Western European audience is at once intriguing and familiar.

The work and lives of León Ferrari and Gülsün Karamustafa converge and intersect on multiple levels. Both respond to authoritarian governments that do not support freedom of speech: a situation characteristic of the issues facing many countries today, including in Europe.

As well as parallels, there are also differences between the artists. Karamustafa reflects on male-female relations in a changing Turkey, and the loss of Istanbul’s multicultural climate; Ferrari responds to the influence of Western, Christian civilization on South America and on dictatorship in Argentina. The exhibition includes never before shown pieces by the artist. Karamustafa will be producing a new artwork especially for this solo exhibition.

Through solo exhibitions by Hito Steyerl, Rasheed Araeen and less recently, Andy Warhol and Christo, the Van Abbemuseum has earned itself a reputation as a museum that launches internationally recognised artists in the Netherlands. Continuing in this vein, 2021 will see the start of a series of solo exhibitions by renowned international artists who have not yet exhibited in a big way in the Netherlands. Two solo exhibitions are sometimes displayed in conjunction with one another, as is the case for Parallel Lives, Parallel Aesthetics.

The exhibition León Ferrari: A Kind Cruelty is a joint collaboration between the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, Fundación Augusto y León Ferrari Arte y Acervo, for full credits, click here. The exhibition Gülsün Karamustafa: After the Cosmopolis is a collaboration with Lunds konsthall in Lund.