|
|||||||||||||
 |
| Gulay SEMERCIOGLU | |||||
|
|||||
| Please scroll down for the bio Minimal Abstraction that Weaves Light Gülay Semercioğlu always wanted to be a minimal abstract painter, but after being trained as a painter and creating large scale geometrical abstractions based on linear forms in the early stage of her career, she began to question the use of paint. Finally, Semercioğlu realized that she no longer wanted to use paint or to create illusions, but wanted to work with something that could physically reflect light and be touched by the spectator. By weaving thin coloured metal wires to create colour field abstractions, the artist began to create the abstract works for which she has become famous. From a distance, her work looks like finely executed abstract, sometimes monochrome paintings, but as the spectator comes closer, he/she first feels and later sees something unexpected, eight kilometres of thin aluminium wire that fills the canvas to create different forms and rhythms. Managing to trick the eye for a moment, the work later reveals its true material and character. In contrast to using layers of paint that stick together one on top of the other, in these works she physically creates space on the ground. Like in relief sculpture, the play between empty and full gives a scattered aesthetic and a concrete deepness. At the same time, the eye of the spectator must join the emptiness between the various layers. On a wooden plank used as the ground, she tautly stretches taut wire between evenly spaced small crosshead screws. Like dots in a drawing, these screws create outlines and innter lines to give the huge monochrome fields tension and rhythm. More than twenty layers are created from one long piece of metal wire that winds itself around the numerous nails on the ground. Although she feels an affinity to architecture and knows her work has inherited a three-dimensional quality or even sculptural attitude, the artist classifies her pieces as paintings and situates them in the tradition as well as history of painting. Due to this, they are connected to and draw references from various art movements such as op-art, colour-field painting, minimalism as well as constructivism. Since one of her main interests involves the reflection of light, even a relationship to impressionism can be found. She does not imitate light like the impressionists did, but creates a support to concretely reflect light. In other words, her work does not represent, but performs the actual act of light reflection. Since they do not summarize or illustrate another real entity, but form an entity themselves, they are both Signatum and Signans. The material is industrial and the production process requires an exhausting craft, but the result is a glimpse of the sublime that gives the works more than a decorative beauty and requires more than just technical skill. Done using an enduring, labour intensive method, the knitting process resembles a type meditation. Drawing a thin line between the dichotomies of craft/art and artisan/artist, she loves the craft in art and recognizes that labour and hand dexterity are intrinsic parts of her work. Furthermore, the aluminium knit textures she creates can be seen as a perfect analogy for the aesthetical needs of modern industrialized society. Since in our age, metal constructions determine the way we live, her perfectly knitted metal structures harmonize with our surroundings. No handwriting, no impulsive expression is visible and a formal connection to colour-field painting becomes obvious. Similar to the paintings of Rothko or Newman, her works function as screens for contemplation and meditation. Generally spectators see the same image in a painting regardless of their position, but when viewing Semercioglu's works, their roles change since the appearance on the surface continually differs according to the time of the day and their viewing position. Even though she uses single colour wires, the reflection of the light as it hits the work changes the appearance of the piece and gives it a kinetic quality. In conclusion, Semercioglu's work gains significant importance in a time marked by ongoing questioning about the future of painting and the search for alternative ways of artistic production. Her work can be seen as a proposal for combining craft with art while comparing the history of painting with current forms, materials and aesthetics. Furthermore by joining the eastern tradition of weaving carpets and producing fabrics with visual elements from the western tradition of painting, she gives the work not only a postmodern attitude, but also places it in a strong intercultural position. Marcus Graf 1968, Istanbul 1989 - 1994 Mimar Sinan University Faculty of Fine Arts Department of Painting, BA 1994 - 1998 Mimar Sinan University Institute of Social Science, MA 1995 - 1998 Director of Derimod Art Center 1997 Co-founder of Atolye Sanat 1999 - 2008 Instructor at Yeditepe University of Fine Arts 2008 Instructor at Isik University of Fine Arts Solo exhibitions 2012 "Variations on Line", Leila Heller Gallery, New York, USA 2012 "The Line of Life'', Gallery Etemad, DUBAI 2011 "Erotic Line", Pi Artworks Galatasaray, ISTANBUL 2009 "Light on Line", Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2006 "Kinetic Line", Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2003 One Culture Arts Center, ISTANBUL 1999 "Case", Sabancı University Kasa Gallery, ISTANBUL 1998 "Reflections" Ayse and Ercumend Kalmik Foundation, ISTANBUL 1996 Taksim Art Gallery, ISTANBUL Group Exhibitions 2013 India Art Fair, Pi Artworks,New Delhi, INDIA 2013 Art Miami, Leila Heller Gallery, Miami, USA 2012 Contemporary Istanbul'12, Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2012 Art Dubai, Pi Artworks, Dubai, UAE 2011 "Dream and Reality - Modern and Contemporary Women Artists from Turkey", Istanbul Modern, ISTANBUL 2011 Contemporary Istanbul'11, Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2011 Art Beat Istanbul, Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2011 Art Dubai, Pi Artworks, Dubai, UAE 2010 Contemporary Istanbul'10, Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2010 Scope Basel, Pi Artworks, Basel, SWITZERLAND 2010 Mardin Biennial, MARDIN 2010 "Istanbul Cool", LTMH Gallery, NEW YORK 2010 ArtDubai, Galerie Kashya Hildebrand, Dubai, UAE 2010 Kasa 10th Year Exhibition, Sabancı University Kasa Gallery, ISTANBUL 2009 Contemporary Istanbul' 09, Pi Artworks, İSTANBUL 2009 ''In Stitches'', Curated by Beth Rudin Dewoody, LTHM Gallery, NEW YORK 2009 ''Under my feet I want the world'', 17 female artists from Istanbul, Akademie Der Künste, Pariser Platz, Istanbul Next Wave, BERLIN 2009 ''Kaleidoscope", Kashya Hildebrand Gallery, Zurich, SWITZERLAND 2009 Scope Basel, Pi Artworks, Basel, SWITZERLAND 2009 Art Hong Kong, Galerie Kashya Hildebrand, HONG KONG 2009 ArtDubai, Galerie Kashya Hildebrand, Dubai, UAE 2008 Art Asia Miami, Pi Artworks, Miami, USA 2008 artparis Abu Dhabi, Galerie Kashya Hildebrand, Abu Dhabi, UAE 2008 2XT, Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2008 Contemporary Istanbul'08, Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2007 Artİstanbul'07, Pi Artworks, Antrepo, ISTANBUL 2006-07 Contemporary Istanbul' 07-08, Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2006 "deforNation", Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2006 "inforNation", Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2006 "art.fair 06" international art fair, COLOGNE, GERMANY 2006 Lithography exhibition, Cey Fine Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 2006 Gallery Binyil, ISTANBUL 2005 Marinart, BODRUM 2005 ahk, Cagla Cabaoglu Art Gallery, ANTALYA 2005 Ittihad Sigorta Exhibition, İttihat Sigorta Passage, ISTANBUL 2005 "This Is For You" 50 Artists 50 Works, Istanbul Modern Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 2005 "The One I See Is Not You", Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2004 "Young Artists V" Almelek Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 2004 "Beyoglu", Aksanat, ISTANBUL 2003 "Approaches", Aksanat, ISTANBUL 2002 "60 Years 60 Artists", 12th Istanbul Art Fair, Tüyap, ISTANBUL 2001 "Nature and Man", Elturca Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 2001 "Darülbedayi", 11th Istanbul Art Fair, Tüyap, ISTANBUL 2001 TRT Painting and Ceramic Competition, Military Museum, ISTANBUL, ANKARA, İZMİR 2000 21st Contemporary Artists Istanbul Exhibition, State Gallery of Fine Artists, ISTANBUL 2000 "Times", Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 1999 Turkish Jockey Club Presidental Race, Ankara Hippodrome, ANKARA 1999 Turkish Jockey Club Painting Competition Exhibition, Veli Efendi Hippodrome Naval Museum, ISTANBUL 1998 Print Exhibition, Mimar Sinan University, ISTANBUL 1998 Istanbul Contemporary Artists' Retrospective, Naval Museum, ISTANBUL 1997 18th Contemporary Artists Istanbul Exhibition, Ataturk Cultural Center, ISTANBUL 1997 "Kazlicesme", Derimod Art Center, ISTANBUL 1996 Painting Exhibition of the Artists From Cihangir 1 and 2, ISTANBUL 1996 "The Other" Habitat II. Salipazari Warehouse, ISTANBUL 1995 12th Esbank Yunus Emre Painting Competition Exhibition, State Gallery of Fine Arts, ISTANBUL 1995 16th Contemporary Artists Istanbul Exhibition, Museum of Painting and Sculpture, ISTANBUL 1994 New Tendencies Exhibition, Mimar Sinan University, ISTANBUL 1994 Vakko Young Artist Exhibition, Vakko Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 1994 15th Contemporary Artists Istanbul Exhibition, Museum of Painting and Sculpture, ISTANBUL 1994 "Red - White", Gallery B, ISTANBUL 1994 Siemens Art Awards Exhibition, Mimar Sinan University, ISTANBUL 1993 March 3rd Exhibition, Mimar Sinan University, ISTANBUL 1993 22nd DYO Awards Paintings Competition Exhibition, Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall, ISTANBUL 1993 14th Contemporary Artists Istanbul Exhibition, Museum of Painting and Sculpture, ISTANBUL 1993 Siemens Art Awards Exhibitions, Mimar Sinan Universty, ISTANBUL 1993 8th Istanbul Youth Days, Muhsin Ertuğrul Theatre, ISTANBUL 1991 Sandoz Art Gallery, ISTANBUL Public Collections Istanbul Modern Collection Farhad Farjam Collection Cocca Art and Design Institute Centene Collection
Awards 1999 Turkey Jockey Club Painting Competition, Achievement Award 1994 Contemporary Artists 15th Istanbul Exhibition, Dr. Nejat Eczacıbaşı Art Museum Award 1993 Siemens Art Awards, 1st Prize 1981 Painting Competition for High Schools Students, 2nd Prize |
|||||
