Elif Uras's exhibition, "Soil in Your Hands," invites viewers to rethink women's labor within the context of historical and material culture, and will be on display at Galerist from September 16th to November 8th. Supported by Kale Design and Art Center (KTSM), the exhibition brings together for the first time the artist's ceramic works, produced using lathe and hand-forming techniques in New York, with those produced using the casting method in Iznik, the historical center of Turkish tilemaking since the Ottoman era.
The artist's voluminous vases, inspired by the female body, interweave figurative and abstract narratives: optical patterns inspired by the geometric rhythms of Islamic art undulate over forms inspired by Neolithic clay figures indigenous to the artist's region. Uras creates multilayered, textured, and relief-like surfaces through the use of slips, washes, underglaze paint, and gilding.
The exhibition features ceramic sculptures, plates, and tablets that explore themes of women's labor, solidarity, and support. In the current socioeconomic context, where only 30 percent of women in Turkey are formally employed, these themes take on even deeper meaning. By tracing the historical connection between Anatolian women and gold, Elif Uras transcends the symbolism of patriarchal powers and instead envisions this precious metal as a symbol of women's unseen, unpaid labor. Drawing inspiration from the region's prehistoric, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine heritage, as well as its recent history, she resurfaces suppressed narratives and draws attention to enduring cultural lineages.
Gilded female figures appear on the surfaces of the vases as bearers of traditional cultural practices ranging from domestic labor to agriculture, from weaving to pottery. Uras transforms these often-overlooked forms of labor into powerful narratives of resistance, resilience, and continuity, giving them a mythic and timeless form.
Kale Design and Art Center (KTSM), founded on Kale Group's "Take Good Care of Your World" approach, sees ceramics as a cultural memory, a social expression, and a space for shared production. It focuses on establishing dialogue with artists, fostering collaborations, and strengthening its connection to the public sphere. Elif Uras's multilayered practice, which considers ceramics as a way of thinking, is a powerful component of this dialogue and emerges within a meaningful context.
Elderly Earth can be visited daily, except Sundays, from September 16th until November 8th, 2025, between 11:00 am and 7:00 pm.
Who is Elif Uras?
Elif Uras (born in Ankara) studied at Brown University and Columbia Law School before earning an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) from Columbia School of Art and a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) from the School of Visual Arts. Uras's artistic practice encompasses ceramics, painting, and drawing, and in her work, she reflects on the representation of women, gender, and class structures. Drawing inspiration from sources such as prehistoric art, antiquity, Islamic geometry, and Western modernism, her works incorporate elaborate patterns on their surfaces. Uras's work also engages with themes of tradition, ornamentation, and, in particular, the labor assigned to women.
Her work has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum, MoMA PS1, Salon 94 New York, the 9th Shanghai Biennial, and the Pera Museum; it is also included in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum (New York), the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), and Istanbul Modern. The artist participated in the artist-in-residence program at the Museum of Arts and Design (New York) from 2020 to 2021.
Elif Uras lives and works in New York, Istanbul, and İznik.
Source: https://t24.com.tr/haber/elif-uras-in-ellerinde-toprak-sergisi-16-eylul-de-acliyor,1259242