1967, Warsaw. Lives in Warsaw.

The contrary symbolic meaning of the moon as romantic, religious, mysterious, perverse, exotic and beautiful is the key to Althamer’s work here. Taking a live picture of the moon from the skies above İstanbul, he transmits the image to an advertising media board in Beyoğlu above the Pera Marmara Hotel. The work plays with the status of this medium as a promotional space for commodities, showing instead something that is free to all and owned by none. During the day we see the sky, probably mostly blue, while knowing that somewhere hidden in the image the moon is waiting for sunset. On a clear night, the image will be extraordinarily beautiful, magnifying something that is already visible and transforming it from natural phenomenon to artwork.
At any time and throughout the Biennial, the work will hopefully prompt us to stop and stare for a few moments, reminding ourselves of the cycles of the planets and the tangible reality of our spinning globe.

Charles Esche

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