Staying in a Foreign Land

Gurbette Kalmak

TAXISPALAIS Kunsthalle Tirol, Maria-Theresien-Str. 45 6020 Innsbruck Austria

The exhibition “Bleiben in der Fremde” (Staying in a Foreign Land) showcases artworks that respond to the social and political conditions faced by laborers in the “guest worker” system of Western Europe during the 1970s. The exhibition mainly features works created after the recruitment agreement (Anwerbestopp) had ended, during a time when migrant workers from Turkey were fighting for equal labor and civil rights. The artworks also address the challenges faced by these workers in integrating into Western European society while maintaining their cultural identities. Semra Ertan, Cana Bilir-Meier, Sohrab Shahid Saless, Nil Yalter and Hanefi Yeter create a different language in poetry, video, film, photography and painting to narrate the pain of denied belonging in both home and foreign land. Curated by Gürsoy Doğtaş & Nina Tabassomi.