Slavs and Tatars: Simurgh Self-Help

There are some exhibitions that need you to read up on your art history before you visit. Simurgh Self-Help at the Kalfayan Galleries definitely needs some Googling if you're gonna want to make sense of it all, but if you’re not feeling up to the task let us break it down for you.

Ever heard of Marcel Broodthaers? He was a Belgian artist, poet, filmmaker and writer who gained international recognition in the 1960s and 1970s for his innovative and conceptual approach to art. One of his most famous works is his installation piece Musée d'Art Moderne, Département des Aigles (Museum of Modern Art, Department of Eagles), which transformed an ordinary space into a fictional museum and challenged the authority of traditional art institutions. 

Fast forward to today, Slavs and Tatars is a contemporary art collective exploring the complex web of cultural and historical ties that stretch from the former Soviet Union to Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Inspired by Broodthaers' influential works, Slavs and Tatars present a collection of intriguing works challenging traditional notions of identity and spirituality. Instead of sticking to Broodthaers’ favourite symbol, the eagle, they roll with Simurgh, a mythical bird from Persian and Central Asian stories that is gnostic and rather gender-nonspecific. From vacuum-formed plastic panels, to woollen carpets and hand-blown glass lamps shaped like melons, the exhibition showcases a diverse range of media and concepts. 

So, what's the deal with all these symbols and concepts? Slavs and Tatars want us to reflect on and take a good look at the symbols we've built our world on and what it all means in today's complex society.