The Transylvnian Museum of Ethnography, public cultural instituion functioning under the authority of the Cluj County Council, invites you to the exhibition “BITTER THINGS - Narratives and Memories of Transnational Families” inaugurated on May 6th, at 3 p.m.
“BITTER THINGS” is a research-based exhibition project, initiated by the Bi’bak creative space in Berlin, which explores the impact of labor force migration on the notions of motherhood and family, from the perspective of migrant workers and their children left behind. Based on the experiences of present and past transnational families, the exhibition highlights representative stories and objects of their lives.
Globally, labor force migration creates new models of the transnational family, which despite geographical distances, strives to maintain contact between its members. During the employment agreements of the 1960’s, many parents had to leave their children behind, because working hours made it impossible for them to look after their children. Nowadays, migrant workers from Eastern Europe are the ones who mostly neglect their families in order to earn better salaries in more developed countries. As a former country of emigration, Turkey has now become a destination for many Eastern European workers, the Caucasus or the Central Asian region, especially in the nursing and infirmary sector.
The exhibition brings forward a migration component which is much less debated in academia or in the media. “BITTER THINGS” depicts attitudes related to the obstacles faced by various transnational families, starting from the ‘60s and until nowadays. Family separation, in the context of labor force migration, affects both parents and children. If the stories of past generations were often hidden, the new generations of separated families tell their stories much more visibly. The visitor walks into the intimacy of interviews in which the relationships between parents and children are redefined under the form of gifts or financial support which replace experiences lived together or interactions blocked behind remote communication applications.
Bi’bak (in Turkish: “take a look”) is a non-profit organization and an independent contemporary art space based in Berlin, which focuses its work around transnational narratives, migration, global mobility and their aesthetic dimensions. The Bi’bak programme examines various disciplines in the fields of art, academia and community development, including film screenings, exhibitions, workshops, as well as music events and culinary experiences.
More information on the exhibition can be found on the Facebook page of the German Cultural Centre in Cluj-Napoca in Cluj-Napoca (https://www.facebook.com/events/179420224050414/).
The exhibition organized by Bi’bak is presented in Cluj-Napoca by the German Cultural Centre in collaboration with the Transylvanian Museum of Ethnography and ARTA Cinema.
The exhibition is supported by the Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa.
Concept and Artistic Direction: Malve Lippmann, Can Sungu
Project coordinator: Anna Krauss
The exhibition will be open until June 5th 2021, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. (last entry at 5 p.m.), at the Transylvanian Museum of Ethnography (Reduta Palace, 21 Memorandum Street, Cluj-Napoca).
The exhibition will be visited in compliance with the norms for preventing the spread of Covid-19. A limited number of people will have access to the room at the same time, the protective mask is mandatory, and access is only possible after taking the temperature.
We look forward to welcoming you!