Aslı Çavuşoğlu: The Place of Stone

This catalog is published in conjunction with the New Museum exhibition Aslı Çavuşoğlu: The Place of Stone (September 18, 2018-January 13, 2019). For her New Museum exhibition and residency, part of a partnership with the Istanbul-based SAHA Association, Çavuşoğlu expands her ongoing research into the histories of specific colors, exploring the origins and trade history of lapis lazuli, a blue stone exported primarily from Afghan mines since the seventh century BC In her new body of work, Çavuşoğlu will create a wall of fresco panels, an artistic form that has traditionally incorporated lapis pigment; to this day, frescoes yield information about lapis lazuli’s trade and distribution, as well as its cultural symbolism. In her installation, Çavuşoğlu will trace the history of the color blue across centuries and diverse geographies—from Central Asia to Africa to Europe—following its transitions and shifting associations, from the sacred to the political to the emotional.