''neighbour'' 
 
[15.09.2005 - 22.10.2005]
 
Gallery Apel is preparing an exhibition titled 'neighbor'' as an accompaniment to the 9th Istanbul Biennial. This show is a continuation of Apel's themed exhibitions for which the artists are asked to create new work; 'la strada'' (1999), 'harvest'' (2001), 'vineyard; poet's garden'' (2003). The word 'komşu'' in Anatolian Turkish comes from the Central Asian 'konşı''. As a noun it describes people whose residences are close to one another and as an adjective it describes geographical locations which share a border.

Narratives about neighbors in love or at war with each other come up in various cultures in different formats. The concept of 'neighbors' is the subject of many disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, history, law and even mathematics.

'Love thy neighbor as thyself'' ; these words from the Torah remind us that this concept is also a moral value which is degenerating... The social interactions which have been changing in the name of progress inevitably affect how we, as individuals communicate. Today we live in a world where we can live in the same building for years without knowing our neighbors' names. The friendly conversations which used to take place on our street or in our building are replaced by daily e-mails sent and received from around the world. These thoughts makes one ponder the future of words such as 'neighborhood' or 'neighbor'.