

The thing I noticed most about the exhibition halls, was the overwhelming presence of texture in the artworks on display, whether they were 2D or 3D. There were textured paintings, low relief/reverse relief panel sculptures, shiny metallic ribbed paintings, textile works, recovered construction material sculptures. Every artwork seemed to scream, "TOUCH ME". It was a very stimulating experience. I witnessed children and adults alike reaching out and touching the work.
Taking into account that the vast majority of the work was created in the past seven years, and that artwork responds to the life and times in which it is created, then what does this emphasis on texture say about contemporary society? I was feeling saturated from looking at so much art at once, I took a break and carried this thought with me to the water closet. In this convention building, as in many modern facilities throughout the developed world, I encountered automatic revolving and sliding doors, automatic faucets, soap dispensers, and hand dryers. Our modern life is constantly seperating us from our sense of touch. Flattening our experience to smooth, flat touch screens that we control with as little contact as possible. When do we use our hands? When is it ok to touch something or someone? How do we do it if we hardly use our sense of touch to engage with the world? What kind of information are we missing out on? What does our sense of touch tell us about ourselves and the world?
I left the Art International Istanbul cool air-conditioned exhibition hall for the warmth of the Mediterranean sunshine. The evening breeze blew, as I sat by the waterside and watched the sunset behind the Golden Horn. Boatmen cruised by while I drank a chilled glass of red wine. My bum and hands were warmed by the sun-soaked concrete. I felt inspired, uplifted, and recharged from the incredible array of artworks that Contemporary Artists around the globe had made for us to see and contemplate. This is what Art is suppose to do, to have us stop and contemplate our world. Sometimes we understand it and sometimes we don't. I think at the end of the day we are lucky to have experienced Life at all.
