PLACEBO EFFECT

SOLO EXHIBITION AT OPERATION ROOM

APRIL 25 - MAY 10, 2016

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Inspired by the name of the Istanbul gallery, Operation Room, and its unique location in a medical complex, Ali Cabbar explores what he sees as a placebo effect ˗title of the show˗ and how it plays out in politics, contemporary art and sports where it reveals the polarization in Turkish society. In witty works, he updates Robert Indiana's iconic “Love” with a social-media twist, changing it to “Like,” and in another he turns the popular raki drink into a panacea medicine.

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One of the works in the show titled “The Other Side of the Pain” is a stark reminder of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The man depicted is the artist himself, and the dates on the medal, written in Ottoman numerals, are 1915-2015. The work, a print on canvas, recalls the Orientalist portraits of medal-laden Ottoman statesmen and generals from the 19th century who shaped the country’s history.