The personal exhibition titled "Find Me" by İsmet Değirmenci, who focuses on the human-nature relationship in his art, continues at Brieflyart Gallery. In his works, the artist recreates life, which he questions with island metaphors, as a utopia against the dystopian order we live in.
In the exhibition, the island pictures Değirmenci drew on book pages, the "loneliness maps" pictures he made with India ink on paper, and the bust series titled "Migration Portraits" made of terracotta meet art lovers.
Describing his new exhibition, Değirmenci says, "I am thinking of utopia again with the concept of 'Find Me', against the dystopian order, that is, for the liberation of the individual." He uses the following statements about his art: "I consider my art as a peaceful experience that is in harmony with nature."
How does the name of the exhibition, "Find Me", reflect the main theme in your works? What intellectual and emotional contexts did you take into account when choosing this name?
I think of the concept of find me as utopia again, against the dystopian order, that is, for the liberation of the individual. I used island metaphors to re-find myself and to re-realize myself, who became an object of consumption and lost in the captivity of the city, in the rush of speed and catching up. Maybe to start over.
"I ADOPTE AN EXPRESSIONIST EXPRESSION"
How do you portray the interaction between nature and art? What role does nature play in your works?
The nature phenomenon in my paintings is not based on representation, that is, an emotion in front of the landscape, but a state of being completely in nature. I adopt a spiritually and metaphysically expressionist expression in harmony with nature and with a sense of responsibility.
How would you evaluate the island metaphors you used in the exhibition in a social context? At the same time, do these metaphors reflect your individual experiences?
Island metaphors were about rebuilding or imagining utopian islands that had been corrupted by the exploitation of western countries. First, ontologically questioning our own existence; I used the island metaphor for the causality of looking at ourselves and re-realizing ourselves. The island is a place where I grew up and where I escaped from the burdens of the city, where I could question myself and find myself.
"I DID IT AS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT HAPPENED"
What kind of story do migration-themed busts tell about identity and belonging? Does migration represent a search for personal identity for you?
Migration portraits; The faces of those who went to the island during the population exchange and those who came afterwards, but these faces I made from my imagination that I do not know, are all located as islands in the sea. Of course, while creating these, I painted migration portraits with a sense of endless responsibility, being responsible for what was experienced before me and what will be experienced.
How do you evaluate the evolution of your works throughout your art career? Have you noticed any changes in your understanding of art?
In this life cycle, I consider my art as a peaceful and harmonious experience in harmony with nature, without repeating itself through new materials each time, based on the philosophy of flow, formation and walking, which is the idea that both itself and all its parts are in constant motion. This helps me seek new things and realize the experimental.
Source:https://www.evrensel.net/haber/504807/ressam-ismet-degirmenci-distopik-duzene-karsi-yeniden-utopyayi-dusuniyorum