Special Exhibits

On the occasion of the conference we proudly announce several special exhibits:

  • Cosmic Consciousness, by Audrius Plioplys
  • Panel exhibit The First 100 Years: Anatolian Studies at Chicago, curated by Richard Beal and Oya Topçuoğlu

Cosmic Consciousness, by Audrius Plioplys

The following content is courtesy of the artist, Audrius Plioplys. Please visit his website here.

Cosmic Consciousness was a commissioned art exhibit which took place at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, University of Chicago, from January 20 through February 20, 2013. Of note are the two pieces in Origins, now displayed in Breasted Hall, the Oriental Institute on the occasion of the 10th International Congress of Hittitology.

Each of these paintings, on canvas, is 10 x 20 feet in size and deals with the source of our cosmic existence, and of our cultural origins.

Galactic nebula structures, with thousands of neuronal profiles, intersect with hundreds of photographs which I took at archeological sites of the origin of our Indo-European languages and cultures. Cosmic origins, stellar origins and cultural origins overlap and intertwine.

Veil includes 100 images from the excavations in Chatal Hoyuk, the oldest known city, over 10,000 years old, located near Konya in central Turkey. Much archeological and linguistic evidence indicate that this is the area where Indo-European languages originated.

The second piece, Cassiopeia, has 300 photographs from the Hittite world, a mixture from the administrative capital of Hattusha, and the current archeological diggings at Shapinuva, the religious center. The Hittite language is the oldest known Indo-European language.

These pieces are massive in size, and at the same time incredibly detailed. You can view the works from a great distance, and up close, through a magnifying glass, to find more details.

The Origins series consists of two digital paintings, Veil and Cassiopeia. These pieces were printed using pigmented inks on canvas, and are of museum quality. State of the art, EFI VUTEk GS3200 super-wide, high-definition printer was used for these pieces. This series was created and printed in 2013. Each of the pieces is 10 feet x 20 feet in size.

An overview of Cosmic Consciousness can be seen on a YouTube video.

The First 100 Years: Anatolian Studies at Chicago

In conjunction with the 10th International Congress of Hittitology, to be hosted by the Oriental Institute from August 28 through September 1, 2017, the Chicago Hittite Dictionary Project is organizing a poster-exhibit covering the history of Hittite and Anatolian studies at the Oriental Institute; the history of the Chicago Hittite Dictionary; the dictionary today; and the Institute’s archaeological fieldwork in Anatolia, including the Anatolian Expedition survey and excavations at Alişar Höyük.

The panels will be displayed in Saieh Hall for the duration of the conference. Afterwards, the exhibit will be moved to the Lower Level of the Oriental Institute.