Film Screening and Talk with Kadir Kayserilioğlu

Artist Kadir Kayserilioğlu Hosted as Part of David Blandy’s “Diachronic” Exhibition

As part of David Blandy’s “Diachronic” exhibition, artist Kadir Kayserilioğlu was hosted for a special screening and discussion. On Tuesday, January 21, at 18:00, a screening of his film “The Past is a Foreign Planet” took place, followed by a conversation about his creative process.

In “The Past is a Foreign Planet,” produced in 2021, Kadir Kayserilioğlu explores the disconnection between his personal history and the macro-history shaped by the ideals of capitalism and progressivism. The film is inspired by an imaginary resemblance between a childhood memory and Elon Musk’s Starlink project, weaving together imagery from video game realities and everyday life.

Over an eight-month period, the artist’s research, experiences, and encounters with new people are incorporated into the narrative. Themes such as satellite crashes, alien narratives in popular culture, technocracy and capital relations, apocalyptic theories, and the concept of transience are explored. The film constructs a non-linear narrative, oscillating between documentary and fiction, reality and simulation.

“The Past is a Foreign Planet” critiques the obsession with immortality and permanence—fetishized by the transhumanist ideal—through a language rooted in confessions, coincidences, and newly formed relationships, without shying away from the personal and the peculiar. By doing so, the film offers viewers a visual journey that leaps from one topic to another, encouraging free association and reflection.