How did you decide on opening an atelier in Kadıköy? How long have you been in here?
In fact I have been in Kadıköy since 2004. I used to have an atelier a year before I graduated from school. Then I went for the military service. Before that I have been the assistant of a sculpture in İstinye for a year and half. I have been actively using this atelier in Yeldeğirmeni since 2006. I am both living and working here in this atelier.
What is the relationship of atelier with Kadıköy?
Even though Yeldeğirmeni is in the center of Kadıköy, it wasn't a place that is known much. In fact it still is. I can be in Kadıköy center within five minutes of me leaving this atelier. I think this is an advantage. Kadıköy is very important since there are a lot of places and people to feed from. Yeldeğirmeni, on the other hand, is a very quiet place. Surely you can get into the crowd after a short while. I am trying to produce paintings and sculptures from my experiences in between these two worlds.
How is the relationship with the other artist ateliers in Kadıköy?
A lot of artist ateliers have started to get opened in Kadıköy especially in the last two years. We meet at odd moments. We had meetings with different ateliers last year. Yeldeğirmeni Artists Union is formed. We do have meetings from time to time concerning this union. What I mean is that even if don't have an urge to go out in order to look for an atelier all the time, our relationships continue as it should be. Because new ateliers and new artists are added constantly. It is not much possible to follow it. Yeldeğirmeni is a place, which contains a lot of empty workplaces in the basement of buildings. There may be maybe a hundred ateliers with the ones I know and don't know
Are there any projects produced in these atelier associations?
We have got friends who wish to do something with it. There is an abundant building in Yeldeğirmeni. We got the rights to use the building from the municipality. We managed to transform the building, which has been abundant for the last 18 years, into a usable state by working collectively. Various artists will be able to present their work in this space. For instance I would do a wall painting. But I can't really say that I have got a lot of desire to do a project within this context rather than this one. Each artist may have his or her own concerns individually. We get together for the conceivable projects rather than acting in a utopian way. Rather than being a leader in this matter, my standpoint is more on the following and supporting level if it fits to my soul.
Going back to your individual works: as far as I can see your production is mainly on sculpture and painting. Would you like to talk about your work?
In fact I had my education on sculpture. I had a solo exhibition in Terakki Foundation in 2010. I used to work mainly on sculpture at the time. I also had drawing works parallel to my sculptural work. I started to do drawings, which I have been drawing since 2008, onto canvas. As I have produced works, I have realized that there is an improvement in the work I do. I do figurative work. I continue my figurative work. I saw that there have been serious changes in the works I did especially in the last one and a half year. As a result of research I have made, I also recognized that perception on painting have in fact changed. Parallel to this, I can easily say that you cannot draw something you don't feel. What you can do is limited with your thoughts. The sources I feed from are science fiction, animation and anime movies... I am also interested in quantum physics. My works make their own cases as the projection of all the areas I am interested in. I am a person, who is defending that nothing is formed out of nothing. In fact I do feel like everything that is done has got a genetic connection to past and present. I expect and wait for my work to give audience something as an open work of art rather than explaining the works I did explicitly. I can for sure say something about my works and define them, yet the part that I am really interested in is the reciprocate of that hidden point in audience. Rather than a description, I want to put question in people's mind. As the creator, I also am curious about my works. I think about the reason that is making me draw that figure and the composition. You cannot find the reciprocal of intuitivism in mathematical sense. Maths occupies enough space both in sculpture and painting in order to form the composition correctly. Reflecting the inner feelings is a story that is totally related to the passion and the sincerity of that person. You can see the traces of my past work in my works - that is for sure. There are of course artists, whom I am effected from. But, the point that is very important especially for me is to try to make people feel the works that do not exist (are not done). I don't know how close I am with my own work; but my own artistic attitude is related to this.
What kind of references or which artists do effect you while you are creating your work?
I am interested a little bit with Eastern Philosophy. I read Krishnamurti. They categorize him in philosophy, yet I don't think he is philosophical. I know he has got very interesting experiences. For instance a point, which I correlate with my own work is that his thoughts are being in relation to intuitive knowledge. It is actually related to produce work by adding the intuitive knowledge, which can't be taught to the knowledge, which is taught to you. Hieronymus Bosch, who is considered to be an important artist in the history of art, effected me a great deal. Although he doesn't have much work, I think it effected many artists with the work he has left behind. Francis Bacon is also among the artist, who effected me. But the real issue is to feel the person, who appeal to your soul, and then put something on top of it and transform. I think nobody is rediscovering America. Transforming this with sincerity is the only important thing. I think, the artist and artist candidate should be fed from different points of life. I play darbuka when I am not producing my works. I also think that the relationship I make with rhythm also feeds me in a sense.
The thinkers and artists you have mentioned, present themselves as images in your work.
In fact I approach to the results that come out of taught and intuitive knowledge's unison, in a critical way. Because transformation to another work of art in a moment can be in question. I make works within a concept; but not to repeating myself a lot is my consideration. I am careful about the relationship of my works with the past, future and surely the moment. Some of the images I use have a relationship with the past and surly the future. Amorphous painting and positioning of faces may generally be irritating. I am trying to produce work, in which my personal reality as I percept would be openly out, and which will be focusing this reality onto one single point. Even though technique is important, painting with a common language formed by this technique and sincerity can create a potential for a good work of art. First of all, a work of art should make another person stand in front of it. Surely I need to get impressed from this situation first, so that the other people, who see my works, would get impressed. Actually this is an adventure. You exist as much you think
What is the process of the work you do?
I have been working on sketches in the last two years. Before that I use to let myself go in the spontaneity of drawing before. This was giving me a lot of pleasure. Surely this was changing according to the power of drawing. After a certain point, I forced myself a bit and started to produce my work by drawing sketches. When I decide on the sketch, I directly go onto the canvas. But, surely I can't say that the work itself is not completely done. Also it transforms into something else on the canvas in quite a different way from the one in the sketch. After putting several layers of fabric on the canvas, I sandpaper the canvas, turning it into a paper surface, so that I can also use pencil as well. I do really enjoy this process. I have observed that producing work starting from sketches disciplined my mind.
What kind of material do you use?
I use acrylic and acrylic pencils. Since I see myself closer to drawing, I think it is also closer to my stance.
What is the duration of you to start producing a work?
This all to do with my concentration. If I am making a big work, then I do a smaller work parallel to it and so in that way I can kind of rest myself.
Is there a project, which you are willing to attend, in near future?
I will be in a group exhibition by next New Year. Other than that I am having a solo exhibition in Mixer on February.
