Tayfun Erdoğmuş's exhibition, "Atlas 1/137.035999," invites the viewer to a cosmic dialogue between nature and art...
Plants, minerals, handmade papers, chemical and acrylic solutions... Tayfun Erdoğmuş invites us to a universe where nature meets matter, and matter meets art; sometimes cosmic, sometimes symphonic... Bringing together selected works from the artist's more than 40 years of production with new pieces, his first institutional solo exhibition in Turkey, "Atlas 1/137.035999," has opened at Arter. The exhibition, showcasing Erdoğmuş's years-long artistic practice, makes visible the connections between science, nature, and art.
Cosmic Memory
Erdoğmuş's working method resembles that of a naturalist or alchemist. Over the years, he collects, classifies, and transforms plants; sometimes bringing them together, sometimes separating them. The exhibition treats the materials offered by nature not merely as a means of expression, but as fundamental elements of thinking and reconstructing memory.
The exhibition's title, "1/137.035999," while appearing mysterious at first glance, corresponds to one of physics' most important constants: the fine-structure constant. This value determines how strongly charged particles, especially electrons, interact with each other in the universe; it also forms the basis of the relationship between light and matter.
This invisible balance, extending from the structure of atoms to chemistry and thus to the existence of life, forms the intellectual backbone of the exhibition.
A Way of Thinking
When all the works are read together, "Atlas 1/137.035999" takes on meaning as a coordinate point where science, art, and craft intersect. The title, reminiscent of a newly discovered star, a molecule, or an as-yet-unsolved code, also describes the exhibition's way of thinking.
One of the most striking aspects of the exhibition is that in the universe Erdoğmuş creates, cosmic and anthropocentric sensibilities develop through repetition, rhythm, symmetry, and abstraction, while also establishing a strong connection with traditions such as calligraphy, illumination, ornamentation, and writing-painting. Works shaped at the intersection of different disciplines such as anatomy, astronomy, geometry, geography, geology, and biology invite the viewer to unlock the doors to new worlds.
The Infinite Coordinates of Art and Time
A Journey to Logbooks
At the entrance of the exhibition, visitors are greeted by “Logbooks,” “Water Paintings,” “Ghost Herbarium,” and “Radiant Fragments.” Erdoğmuş works on Nepalese paper, produced from the lokta shrub that grows on the southern slopes of the Himalayas and used for centuries in Buddhist manuscripts due to its durability. In this section, the artist pursues the questions, “What do we remember?” and “How do we accumulate and reconstruct knowledge?” Old school books, newspaper and magazine clippings also become part of this journey through memory.
Opposite the "Logbooks," the "Ghost Herbarium" gives the visitor the feeling of entering a laboratory. Resembling a naturalist's workspace, this room allows visitors to observe the processes of plants collected by the artist over the years from his travels, plants collected by his relatives, or plants acquired from different parts of the world, as if they were parts of a scientific research project. Thus, plants become not only a part of nature but also carriers of time and memory.
The 'Possibilities' Corner of Life
One of the most magnificent sections of the exhibition is "Untitled (Natura)." This grand 'meeting,' where works from different collections produced between 2004 and 2024 come together on a single surface, makes visible the natural memory the artist has accumulated over the years. Plants unearthed from her grandfather's grave in Uşak, from the garden of Ernest Hemingway's house in Havana, from an old notebook belonging to Regina Maltas that she found by chance in İzmir, or transported to her studio from different corners of the world, come together on the same wall. Some are positioned at eye level, others impossibly far away, inviting us to reconsider the infinite possibilities and invisible connections in the universe.
Written by: Seray Şahinler
Source: https://www.milliyet.com.tr/kultur-sanat/sanatin-ve-zamanin-sonsuz-koordinatlari-7629237