Hera Büyüktaşcıyan, Nothing further beyond, 2021
Installation view at New Museum Triennial, New Museum, New York, 2021
(excerpt)
One of the show's greatest strengths is the notable subtlety of works on display: a refreshing respite at a time when so many artists have embraced brash, overt political agendas within their practices.
Among the standout works is Hera Büyüktaşçıyan's sculptural installation Nothing further beyond I (2021), which grounds a second-floor gallery with deft restraint. Based in Istanbul, the artist riffs off the Arch of Theodosius, a site constructed in AD 395 as a display of imperial greatness whose archaeological remnants can still be seen today in a central square within the Turkish capital.
In Büyüktaşçıyan's interpretation, offcuts of commercial, mass-produced carpets are layered atop one another, forming neat, waved stacks of varying elevations and configurations that recreate the architectural contours of the ruins.
The industrial material, some of which is etched with motifs that adorn the original columns, takes on a sinuous, organic appearance, emulating the gradient lines of sedimentary rock.
In creating this work, the artist demonstrates a mastery of form while skillfully drawing attention towards the imperceptible entrenchment of historical legacies within modern-day lives.