In recent years, Turkey has become one of the largest recipients of European plastic waste – a side effect of the EU’s supposedly efficient waste separation system. While high-quality recycled materials remain in Europe, lower quality plastic waste is exported, often to be illegally burned or improperly disposed of.

Artists Mathias Kessler and Ahmet Civelek travelled to Adana to investigate the ecological and social consequences brought about by the export of European plastic waste. Their experiences on site form the foundation of their installation, which combines documentary elements such as photographs and video with a participatory approach. For example, plastic waste purchased from street vendors was woven into 50 carpets together with visitors in a week-long workshop led by Christina Elsässer at the OG Gallery in Istanbul. These have been joined to form two walls that represent the visual and spatial connection between art and waste in the exhibition.

The carpets are an artistic reinterpretation of garbage that gives new value to disposable materials and invites us to reflect on the global cycle of consumption and pollution.

→ Mathias Kessler

→ Ahmet Civelek