Urban Realities: Fokus Istanbul
Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, 2005

The relation between Berlin and Istanbul as cities in fast development, as urban generators and cultural laboratories, is obvious. The fact that Berlin is the second largest “Turkish city” is due to a large migration of foreign workers since the 1970s. Interestingly, the logo of Mercedes symbolizes success for rich Western upper classes, Arabic sheiks, as well as for German taxi drivers or Turkish macho boys driving an old pimped E-model. Mercedes is the only true currency for all classes, so I wanted to explore it.

However, the Mercedes star on the hood—the strongest symbol of hierarchical financial and social German success—is outsourced to Turkey. For the show, a similar golden version of the star was produced in Turkish 24-karat gold, but cut off one fifth of the circle. This transforms it into a national symbol as seen on the Turkish national flag: the star and the moon.

Both the star and its package were placed in a luxury glass case in the museum Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin. Now it looked like an exclusive jewel. The star was transformed into a multicultural symbol, a multiple able to fit any Mercedes still running with a gallion figure on the hood.