Balanced we were / Never to be
Solo show at ‘Available & The Rat’ Rotterdam (2022)
This exhibition looks at the dynamics of artist’s nuclear family structure and creates a personal memory garden. The artist dwells on the feeling of rootedness within a family and the similar feelings one has with governmental figures. How does these two micro and macro structures we are born in effect the shaping of the individual? Which are the authority figures in societies that grind down unfitting characteristics of a child? Do we forget about the knowledge we are born with when society introduces new experiences?
An exhibition essay was kindly written by Lili Huston-Herterich, please click here to read.
The Mandarine Wall & Poem, 2022
watercolor and ballpoint pen watercolor paper
The mandarine poem written by the artist imitates the rhythm of a children’s lullaby and invites the audience to imagine themselves juggling the mandarines in the air and keep their focus in reference to rhythm of daily life. The repetitive practice of mandarine drawings are like a mantra for the artist who often finds herself in a position that needs balancing between expectations and personal desires.
Luffa, 2022
Glazed porcelain sculpture
Luffa plant has been part of the artist’s practice since 2013 through various mediums such as printmaking, installation and recently with b&w analogue film. The making of this porcelain luffa sculpture is directly connected with the artist film ‘Nest Egg’ (2021). In the film, the luffa is at focus as the representation of artist’s practice and we watch the dried luffa plant being dipped inside liquid porcelain. Following up on this process, the luffa was dried in this specific shape that resembles the vulva and baked in kiln to become a fragile porcelain sculpture.
My Father’s Fruit Bowl, 2022
Glazed porcelain and mandarines
This pieces is made with pieces of luffa dipped in liquid porcelain and patched together in the mold of a bowl. The bowl is a reference to the fruit bowl that was prepared after every dinner to be shared in front of the TV at the artist’s childhood home back in Turkey. The four mandarins are representing four members of her nuclear family that was ruled and controlled by the dominant father figure.
Proedria #1 and Proedria #2, 2022
Ongoing series of engraved and unprinted wood plates, 15×20 cm
These images on woodcut plates are reproduced from photographs taken during a family holiday of the artist visiting the ruins of an antique Greek amphi theater in Turkey. The title ‘Proedria’ refers to the front row seats reserved to the important figures of the society. In daily Greek language it translates as ‘presidency’. Proedria #1 is the father of the artist and Proedria #2 is the artist herself as a child.
Yarık, 2022 /engraved, unprinted linoleum, 30 x 42,5 cm
Elibelinde 2022 /engraved, unprinted linoleum, 19 x 21 cm
Balanced we were / Never to be
Found album, reprinted family photographs
This album consists of a selection of photographs taken during family holidays visiting the ruins of antique settlements in the west costs of Turkey. The first image of the album shows two sisters sitting in the amphi theater facing each other. Following the structure of the found album, this photo divides into layers that can be opened by the audience to look at the rest of the pictures hidden behind.