Art in the Auditorium

Elodie Pong, Ergin Cavusoglu, Dinh Q. Le

  • Cavusoglu, Empire
  • Elodie Pong, After the Empire2008

Past Exhibition

Artists from around the world show moving image work. Swiss artist Elodie Pong’s short films feature stuffed birds discussing the current economic crisis and sees 20th century political and cultural icons converse, perform and re-enact moments from cinematic history.

Ergin Çavuşoğlu’s work refers to Andy Warhol’s film Empire, which consists of a single eight hour shot of the Empire State Building. Filmed in his native Turkey, this video captures the transition from day to night of an apartment block that also houses a mosque.

Vietnamese artist Dinh Q. Lê’s split-screen film simultaneously shows clips of Charlie Sheen in Platoon and his father, Martin Sheen, in Apocalypse Now. Sheen junior watches his father deal with the posttraumatic syndrome of the Vietnam War and illustrates the complexities of family relationships, the repetition of war and history, and the emphasis on masculinity in Hollywood.

The exhibition is part of the international touring programme Art in the Auditorium, which features some of the most exciting artists working with film, video and animation. Elodie Pong is selected by Kunsthaus Zurich, Switzerland; Ergin Çavuşoğlu by the Institute for Readjustment of Clocks, Istanbul, Turkey; Dinh Q. Lê by San Art, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.