May 7th, 2011
Gulay Semercioglu, Purple, 2008, wire on wood
Haluk Akakce, A Tea Party for Mata Hari, 2010, acrylic on board
Yigit Yazici , Soyut Kompozisyon, Date unknown, acrylic on board
Busy busy days my friends, barely time to keep up. And so: another triply-condensed make up post, I hope no one minds. This time around the theme’s Turkey (as you might’ve noticed, on catch-up days I tend to pick themes). First piece I found that caught my eye, Semercioglu’s “Purple”, led me to check out other contemporary Turkish artists, and so here we are. I’ll begin with the Semercioglu. I wish I could see this in person; the way this piece captures and lives with light must be extraordinary to behold. I almost feel like I’m doing it a disservice by showcasing it in this format. Isn’t it lovely how the light caresses the silky valleys, arcs and sweeps? It feels like millions of taut fibers caught in some kind of slow, seductive alien geological torque.
Akakce’s “A Tea Party for Mata Hari” delights me with its neat & methodical stencil-like flourishes, its controlled exuberance and rhythm. An aqua and lavender jellyfish hovers over a yellow unspooled cassette. Racks of piano action slash in from the top and bottom. Black contraptions crowd in the color. There is motion and shifting but no intersection and party-mingling — only the lefthand apparatus slightly mixes with the topmost salmon piano action. Everything else lives apart, hinting at overlap but never getting there. The yellow spool in particular seems to shy away from the lefthand machine. The allocation of space and movement feels deliberately sparing & careful & yet at the same time amused, winky & jazzy. What imagination from this artist, I can’t wait to find more from him.
Finally there’s Yazici’s “Soyut Kompozisyon”. Like much of this artist’s work that I found on the net, this piece explores everyday settings through a single tone’s lens to striking effect. Loose language-like strokes of maroon, rust, magenta and rose burn in and out of each other, creating an initial impression of pure abstraction. Quickly, however, a setting is revealed: a simple living or drawing room with table, chair, paintings on the wall and double doors. Here, as with his other work, underlayers further shift the visual field, revealing other compositional harmonies. The final impression is one of a busy, somewhat caustic, rhythmic rendering that is remarkably casual and centered the more you focus on its clutter.
Please check out more of Akakce’s art over at Deitch Projects.
More of Semercioglu’s work at LTMH Gallery.
More art by Yazici here.
All writing © copyright C. Way / Snailcrow.com 2011
Yigit Yazici said:
Thanks for all you wrote about my paintings I dont know when or how did you find out my paintings I like to know more about the story
All the best
Yigit Yazici
C Way said:
Hey there Yigit! To explain, I use various online art search engines and sites (like Google image search, etc) to locate art for my Art of the Day posts. I use randomizing search techniques so that the art I source is always fresh and new to me. So basically I review anywhere from 5 to 50 pieces of art on a given day before I decide which pieces to write about. I always write as quickly as possible to capture my immediate feelings and thoughts on the work of art I’ve chosen. Sometimes that takes the form of free-form prose or improvised poetry.
Sometimes if I’m in the mood, I do a longer post including other works by other artists, and maybe create a theme, as in the case with this Turkish artists post. As for your art, I remember finding and viewing your work with great pleasure, and responding to it immediately. I’m glad to hear from you (as I am all artists I post about) and wish you continued success Yigit!