The first exhibition at the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul

A couple of months ago I was able to visit, finally, this old underground cistern built 1500 years ago (counting that I go to Istanbul once a year it was a matter of time). My surprise was that they were open for exhibitions and proposals too! So they can update the function of it, giving new opportunities and narratives but also within the surroundings and the mix of history and culture of Istanbul, a win-win situation and it will be a new museum soon.

Basilica opens a door to the underground with “Deeper Beneath”, hurling us into another dimension not only chronically but also planar. In the common spirituality of humanity, the underground as uterus, is the realm of pre-life, post-death and the uncanny full of unknowns. The underground represents the depths of the collective emotional memory of humanity. Our secrets are hidden deep in the underground; beings that are undesirable to be seen and words that are undesirable to be heard have been sent there. The exhibition is a source of life, the foundation of vitality and existence, and the means of healing and purification. With its visible and invisible vibrations, thoughts, imagination, forms of creativity, and their reflections. It is not activist (or yes, somehow) but I am a fan of mysticism. Also, look at the drama of the lights and set up!