DISQUIET SHADOW

Solo exhibition at Yapı Kredi Kazım Taşkent Gallery

Istanbul

April 7 - May 2, 2010

Curated by Başak Şenova

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Disquiet Shadow brings together a series of works in which Ali Cabbar explores the unstable territory between presence and absence, image and trace. Presented in 2010 in Istanbul, the exhibition reflects an ongoing interest in how shadows operate not only as visual phenomena but as psychological and cultural residues.

Rather than functioning as mere projections, shadows in Cabbar’s work take on an autonomous, unsettling role. They detach from their sources, distort familiar forms, and suggest narratives that remain just out of reach. Through installations, drawings and spatial interventions, the exhibition constructs an environment where perception is constantly shifting and certainty is undermined.

At the core of Disquiet Shadow is a tension between visibility and concealment. Cabbar treats the shadow as a site of ambiguity—where memory, identity, and fear intersect. What appears recognizable quickly becomes unstable, inviting viewers to question what is seen and what is inferred.

By displacing the shadow from its traditional role as a secondary image, the work opens a space for doubt and projection. In this space, the viewer becomes an active participant, navigating between the known and the obscured, the tangible and the imagined.

 

Read more on the exhibition on blog

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