Turnstyle, 2020

Kasia Fudakowski, Turnstyle, 2020, Lacquered oak hand carved by Ömer Okutan, constructed by Özkan Şener, painted steel mechanisms made by Serhat Öztemir in Istanbul, circa: 120 × 200 × 80 cm

“Turnstyle” is a sculpture composed of two parallel turnstile barriers, each with three carved wooden arms in the shape of a fist, a hoof and a phallus respectively. The sculpture functions as a perverse gateway, playing on the children’s game rock-paper-scissors, while mimicking the elaborate ornamentation of Catholic church furniture. The psychosexual nature of these mysterious botanical carvings combined with the mechanical thump of the turning barriers, serves to stir up the murky depths surrounding rites of passage. The work was conceived by Kasia Fudakowski in Istanbul, during her residency Be Mobile Create Together, hosted by IKSV. The lacquered oak was hand-carved by Ömer Okutan, constructed by Özkan Şener, with the mechanisms made by Serhat Öztemir in Istanbul.

Installation view at Punta della Dogana, Venice.