The Most Beautiful of All Mothers (2015) Adrian Villar Rojas. This has become "the" image for the istanbul Biennial.
It's interesting and impressive on its own, but for us the effect was trebled by the setting and approach to the work. The map location is described as Trotsky's House. (Trotsky was exiled to Turkey in 1929.) When we arrived, we were directed down a tunnel-like path in a a scrubby area with weedy shrubs and bushes over our heads. The path wound in the shade past the ruins of Trotsky's house. Eventually, we could see a gate that opened on the sea. When we walked through the gate, this is what we saw.
The sudden contrast between the constricted and dark path and the expansive and blindingly bright, white sculptures was startling.
