Painter Claire Arkas will be meeting art lovers at Cihangir Ark Culture from January 7th to February 6th, 2026, with her works that reinterpret nature and cityscapes in the fragmented nature of light. The exhibition, titled "The Interval of Light," features 37 works by the artist.
In her 14th solo exhibition, Claire Arkas invites the viewer away from grand narratives, into short, silent moments where light is concentrated. The exhibition presents a selection where the artist continues her themes of nature, water, architecture, and figures, but this time focusing on details on the periphery rather than the center of the scene. Instead of broad panoramas, Arkas's paintings look at the world through small fragments such as the broken reflection of a chandelier, a few plants hanging from a wall, or a narrow street.
Layers of Nature, Water, and the City
This approach is particularly evident in her works themed around water and the city. On the surfaces of pools and lakes, light transforms into shimmering, broken reflections that shimmer with the water; instead of a clear image, a fragmented visuality emerges, implying the slow passage of time. Glass surfaces and shop windows act like a permeable memory between the interior and the street; the orderly arrangement of shop windows, passing people, and reflections overlap on the same plane, creating a calm yet intense sense of the city where light and depth are layered.
The Language of Figures and Colors
The figures, rather than constructing a dramatic narrative, convey a specific state of being. Seated or rotating bodies, olive trunks, and pruned branches, rather than amplifying emotion, make visible the silent intensity of "being there" under a particular light. The use of color, texture, and pattern reveals the artist's connection to the post-impressionist legacy. Plant textures, fabrics, stone walls, and reflections juxtapose on the surface, evoking the densely patterned areas frequently employed by painters such as Pierre Bonnard and Édouard Vuillard.
The Memory of the Line
The drawings and works on paper featured in the exhibition reveal the artist's emphasis on the line. Architectural facades, interior views, and street scenes are completed using different techniques, based on on-site drawings; here, the line is not a sketch, but a complete thought in itself, carrying the memory of the image.
"The Interval of Light" treats Claire Arkas's practice not merely as a representation of what is seen, but as a way of thinking about seeing itself. The artist focuses on that short, silent interval where light touches the world, inviting the viewer to remain in this interval, to slow down their gaze.
Source: https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/yerel-haberler/izmir/claire-arkasin-14uncu-kisisel-sergisi-isigin-araligi-sanatseverlerle-bulusuyor-43081739