The Most Beautiful of all Mothers

Adrian Villar Rojas

Another early one to get the ferry to Buyukada for more Biennial mooching. Rickety mansions and sound installations were cool (really), but there was nothing that could have prepared me for this. I'd seen pictures, but they came nowhere near conveying the sense of scale, beauty and sheer wow factor of this piece. Stood in the sea, at the bottom of a steep, slippery path (the best bits always seem to demand a degree of effort) is a zoo (ark?) of resin / fibreglass animals, all mounted on concrete plinths and all carrying something else, be it another animal, food, fishing nets or just another bit of sculpture - but all made from a contrasting material. I knew all along this was what we'd really come to see and I wasn't disappointed. This is Proper Art. It engages, it informs, it's mysterious, it's clever, it's big, it's bold and it starts discussions. And it makes you want to stay for the rest of the afternoon and just look at it. To be in it's presence was a privilege. With no hint of irony or sarcasm, it is one of the best things I have seen. Ever. So, I'll leave the discussion I mooted yesterday for another day because today isn't the day for that (and neither is it likely to be tomorrow, for most of the Biennial spaces are closed on Mondays). Istanbul - You rock. Big time.