Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, in cooperation with K2 Contemporary Art Center, is organizing the first Izmir Mediterranean Biennial (IMB) between September 11, 2023 and March 11, 2024.
“Looking at the Same Water”
If the sea is considered as a symbol for various levels of consciousness, how can societies living on the same waterfronts connect with these levels of collective consciousness through different perspectives and spatial relations? If these perspectives and forms of relationship are revealed in a common area, can the Mediterranean identity be evaluated through an objective reality?
The Mediterranean people have been looking at the same water for a very long time. It has been a dreamlike source of inspiration for ancient and contemporary cultures. Its turquoise waters are a major tank of marine biodiversity confronted with a delicate ecological balance.
Maybe now is a good time to see our reflections in the water. Perhaps recognizing one another through the clarity of the water will open a new space. As poet Edip Cansever puts in his poem “The Rest Remains”, winking at the Mediterranean, this space will set us free “like a boat freshly launched into the water”.
