Archivorum, in a prominent collaboration with the Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève and the MAMCO, is delighted to showcase the enduring project Exile is a Hard Job by the acclaimed artist Nil Yalter, a visionary work that began in 1975.

The installation features a series of ephemeral fly posters of immigrants painted over with the slogan “Exile is a Hard Job”. Exile is a Hard Job contemplates the often challenging experience of being an immigrant ignored and ostracised in a foreign country. The title of the work is drawn from a poem by Nâzım Hikmet, an important Turkish poet who spent many years in exile in Russia.

Nil Yalter’s work emerges from current political situations such as daily life in a women’s prison and the living conditions of immigrant workers. Using a quasi-anthropological methodology, she reflects other lives of these individuals and makes marginalized groups visible. Exile Is a Hard Job charts a path from her early abstract paintings through her pivotal socially engaged works and experiments with video and performance.

During the display, visitors are invited to write the phrase “Exile is a Hard Job” in their native languages, fostering a sense of unity and turning the installation into an interactive experience. To this day, Exile is a Hard Job has been staged in Valencia, Metz, Mumbai, Vienna, Istanbul, Brussels, Cologne, and New York.

This immersive installation will be visible from Friday, January 26 until Sunday, January 28, 2024. It will be introduced by an enlightening talk featuring Nil Yalter herself, moderated by Lorenzo Benedetti and Anaïs Auger-Mathurin on Friday, January 26, 12.30.

Biography:
Nil Yalter (b. 1938) was born in Egypt and lives and works in Paris. A graduate of Robert College, Istanbul, Yalter’s practice spans various media, including painting, installation, photography, video, and performance. Widely considered a pioneer female video artist in Europe, Yalter seeks to question the male gaze and give a platform to socially marginalised groups through her work. Yalter has exhibited internationally in institutions such as at Kadist Art Foundation, Mumbai; Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro; Museum Boijimans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam; MAC VAL, Paris; and Museum Ludwig, Cologne. Works by Yalter can be found in many notable public collections, including the Tate Modern, London; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; and Museum Ludwig, Cologne.

Image: Courtesy of the Artist and Ab-Anbar Gallery