Asli Çavuşoğlu: The Place of Stone

For her solo show and residency at New Museum, the first in the US, the artist Aslı Çavuşoğlu creates a new body of works, focused on researching the history of specific colors, in particular lapis lazuli, a blue stone exported primarily from Afghan mines since the seventh century b.c. The showcased installations consist in fresco panels, a technique that involves the use of lapis lazuli, tracing in this way the history of the color blue across centuries and diverse geographies.

Çavuşoğlu’s research is always driven by questions about history and belief conducted by examining objects, images, and cultural symbols that have endured over time. Her works often address narratives of the past and their influence on the present through oral histories, archives, artifacts, and raw materials.