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| Irfan ONURMEN | |||||
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Trained as a painter, Onurmen developed a unique artistic language to investigate urban life and everyday experiences. In his artistic practice, he uses two modes for rendering his ideas. In one approach, he paints on layers of tulle, a feminine, transparent, delicate, light material used for bride’s veils while in the other he transforms old newspapers into masculine, opaque, rough, hard three dimensional objects. Aiming to fit the mode of expression to the concept, he uses the former when looking at delicate private situations and the later for harsh political and social issues. With both of these methods, he investigates depth as a painterly or sculptural element and as a dimension of contemporary life. As the main artist for the gallery, Pi Artworks, in recent years, Onurmen has won acclaim as one of the most outstanding contemporary artists in Istanbul. Working with abstracted drawings that he makes from newspaper or magazine clippings of cosmopolitan strangers, Onurmen creates either what he calls “Pentulle”, layers of painted tulle cloth hung on the wall, or “Sculptulle”, layers of tulle arranged in Plexiglas cases to be viewed from all sides. His “Pentulle”, In the room, (2002) first exhibited in a solo show at Pi Artworks, is now in the IstanbulModern private collection. Like the other work in this series, this piece analyzes contemporary live and changes a private scene into a delicate, beautiful yet layered statement. In “Untitled” (2004) solitary individuals after visiting a bar, smoke, and stand side by side yet alone in a crowded street. After deconstructing a clipping by reducing the image to shape, line and separating the gradations of colors, he paints these separate elements onto pieces of tulle and reassembles the resulting pictorial forms in separate yet superimposed layers that again connect together visually. Up close, the spectator sees nothing; only from a distance does the private become public as the spectator’s eye allows the layers of transparent cloth to merge into a discernable, yet allusive form. Due to the flimsy grainy quality of the fabric, faces, figures, exteriors, and interiors become blurred and the rendered scenes become anonymous. Showing isolated, uncommunicative people who move through rooms, ride in taxis, walk in streets, go to work, frequent bars, dress and undress, these delicate works present the private, the individual, and the personal side of urban existence. In Onurmen’s world of illusion alienation of the passing moment and lack of intimacy becomes both ephemeral and beautiful. At PiArtworks in the spring of 2009, Onurmen opened an exhibition that he named “Panic”. Using his three-dimensional objects constructed from newspapers, in the sixth of his “Archive” series, he investigated another political and public dimension of today’s existence. Just like his recycled newspaper sculptures, the panic felt today is a socially and culturally recycled brand generated by sensational stories from the media. By fossilizing newsprint, by rendering the readable unreadable, Onurmen attempts to neutralize his feeling of panic. By giving fear a concrete form the mysterious specter becomes reachable and seems to be at least a bit under his control. What can be a more appropriate art material for a world in which the news in media is monopolized by corporations or government? What could be more significant at a time when politicians generate fear in order to control and manipulate the public? Years before Onurmen began this sculptural series, he collected not only his own discarded newspapers, but also those thrown away by neighbors. Systematically he cut out and classified images of floods, murders, political assassination, war, forest fires, beautiful women, night life, people in the streets, objects of desire, cars, high society figures, cinema icons, cars, economic references etc. When he began the first of these projects, he realized he needed to collect newspapers for five to six months to make even one object. For these works, layers of newspapers and layers of glue mix as he works with depth and space to make a ten cm. thick relief that may stand alone in the center of the gallery as a type of labyrinth, Circuit, (2009) or hang on the wall, Ear, (2009). These constructions make a new statement about contemporary life, show a picture of his city, tell a story about paranoid relationships, or connect seemingly unrelated objects and people. He plays with size. Sometimes objects are near reality, sometimes exaggerated, at other times diminished. For example, Knife, (2009) the two-meter knife paper sculpture in the window of this exhibition refers to the tool he uses to cut away the layers of newspaper to create shapes or reveal images hidden underneath as well as to the most frequently used lethal weapon for murders in urban cities. Leaving the surfaces unpainted and seemingly unfinished, he works with texture as he juxtapositions diverse, unrelated images to present a feeling of balance, an element missing in urban life. Layering brings in the concept of time. Like an archeologist who excavates antique ruins, he digs in the sculptural background to reveal what is not instantly evident; to discover a new headline that may be closer to the real story about what has happened. Images of war, neckties, a cell phone perhaps used to detonate a bomb, Michael Jackson, a veiled Moslem woman, well dressed models diving out of windows, an eye that sees death by fire, a mouth that cannot speak, an ear that does not hear stand side by side in this exhibition to give glimpses of people frozen from fear or in the process of making wrong decisions due to panic. In Onurmen’s opinion, panic is a contemporary illness. To describe this problem he refers to the images from newspaper articles, television programs, and advertisement billboards, that profusely and consecutively flow through all levels of our lives. Such a bombardment functions to blur our perception of reality. Images emerge and disappear as they replace one another. True becomes false and fake substitutes for real. As the important and mundane interweave, one day’s reality turns into the next day’s lie. In an environment where reality and fiction appear to be the same, everything becomes suspicious and generates fear that manifests itself as panic. Having no control over this situation and living in stressful, unorganized, unplanned cities ruled by traffic and unhealthy living conditions, people feel panic due to fears about the future, fears about the environment, fears about flying in airplanes, fears about entering gigantic skyscrapers, fears about going on holidays, fears about eating, fears about unemployment, fears about getting fat, fears about investing their money, fears about sex, fears about death, fears about failure. As they develop unhealthy human relationships, feel pressure to consume, desire to possess everything, obsess about their careers, lack security, become lonely, and loose their identity, panic increases. Inevitably, panic dictates the actions of urban people who live in a world that vibrates with news flashes about wars, epidemics, and natural disasters. It will be exciting to see the direction his new work will take in the “Istanbul Next Wave” exhibition scheduled to open on November 11, 2009, at Akademie der Kunste, Hanseatenweg, Berlin. Nancy Atakan, Istanbul 2009 1958 Bursa, Turkey 1981-1987 Mimar Sinan Unv. Fine Art Department, Painting Division, Neşe Erdok Atellier Solo Exhibitions 2009 "Panic", Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2007 "On Paper and Tulle", Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2006 "1996-2006 Figure Series", New Pi Gallery, ISTANBUL 2005-06 "Gray 3", Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2005 "ArtFrankfurt 05", International Frankfurt Art Fair, Frankfurt, GERMANY 2004 "Gray", Lütfi Kırdar Exhibition Centre, Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2004 ArtFrankfurt 04, International Frankfurt Art Fair, Pi Artworks, Frankfurt, GERMANY 2003 "Artist 2003", 13th Istanbul Art Fair, Pi Artworks, Tüyap Exhibition Hall, ISTANBUL 2003 "Pentulle", Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2003 "Art Istanbul 2003", Contemporary Art Exposition, Pi Artworks, Lütfi Kırdar Exhibition Hall, ISTANBUL 2003 PG Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 2003 Gallery Nev, ANKARA 2003 Görüntü Art Gallery, ADANA 2002 Milli Reasürans Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 2002 "Artist 2002", 12th Istanbul Art Fair, Pi Artworks, Tüyap Exhibition Hall, ISTANBUL 1999 "Artist 1999", 9th Istanbul Passion Gallery, Tüyap Exhibition Hall, ISTANBUL 1999 Siyaz Art Galley, BURSA 1999 Passion Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 1997 Nadya Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 1996 Türkiye İş Bankası, ISTANBUL 1992 Urart Art Gallery, ANKARA 1989 Maya Art Gallery, ANKARA 1989 Mor ve Gallery, ANKARA 1989 Sanfa Art Gallery, ISTANBUL Group Exhibitions 2010 " Chaotic Metamorphosis ", Proje 4L Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art 2010 '' 34İST2010 '', Adasanat, İSTANBUL 2010 Cer Modern Opening Exhibition, ANKARA 2010 Contemporary Art From Istanbul, Museo Comunale d'Arte Contemporanea, Polignano a Mare, ITALY 2010 ''Food'', Karşı Art Works, ISTANBUL 2009 Contemporary Istanbul' 09, Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2009 6 positions in critical art from Istanbul, Akademie der Künste, Hanseatenweg, BERLIN 2009 Istanbul Modern Berlin, Works from 1928 to 2008 from the collection of Istanbul Modern, Martin- Gropius- Bau, BERLIN 2009 "New Works, New Horizons", Istanbul Modern, ISTANBUL 2009 Scope Basel, Pi Artworks, BASEL 2008 "Artasia Miami'08", International Contemporary Art Fair, Pi Artworks, Miami, USA 2008 "The Bridge to Peace - Pippa Bacca", UPSD, ISTANBUL 2008 "Contemporary Istanbul 08", Pi Artworks, Lütfi Kirdar Exhibition Hall, ISTANBUL 2008 "Made in Turkey, Curated by: Heike Stockhaus, Frankfurt, GERMANY 2008 "8 Faces", 5533 IMÇ Unkapanı, İSTANBUL 2007 ''Hybrid Narratives'', Akbank Art, ISTANBUL 2007 ''Your Eyes Are Bigger Than Your Belly'', 10th Istanbul Biennial, Special Projects, Hafriyat Karakoy, ISTANBUL 2007 "Black and White", CKM, Caddebostan, ISTANBUL 2007 "Color of Women", MKM, Akatlar, ISTANBUL 2006 "Contemporary İstanbul 06", Pi Artworks, Lütfi Kirdar Exhibition Hall, ISTANBUL 2006 "Art Istanbul 06", International Contemporary Art Days, Pi Artworks, Antrepo, ISTANBUL 2006 "Local Heaven: Contemporary Transport", Hafriyat Group, DIYARBAKIR 2006 "art.fair 06", International Art Fair, Pi Artworks, Cologne, GERMANY 2006 "deforNation", Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2006 "Natur-Mort", Galerist, ISTANBUL 2006 "inforNation", Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2005 "On The Frontiers of Experiences", Akbank Art, ISTANBUL 2005 "35+", Terakki Foundation Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 2005 "Secret-Time", Ankara Contemporary Art Center, ANKARA 2005 "Art Istanbul 05", Istanbul Art Fair, Lütfi Kirdar Sergi Sarayı, ISTANBUL 2005 "Production Fault", Istanbul Biennial, Antrepo, ISTANBUL 2004 "False World", Hafriyat Group, Munich Town Hall, Munich, GERMANY 2004 "9 Contemporary Turkish Painters", Brussels, BELGUIM 2003 Koperatif, Hisart, Kargart, ISTANBUL 2002 "Aileye Mahsustur", Karşı Art, ISTANBUL 2001 "Death = Death", Karşı Art, ISTANBUL 2001 "Modern Turk", Topkapı Palace, Has Ahırlar, Istanbul Art Museum Foundation, ISTANBUL 2001 "Artist 2001", 11th Istanbul Air Fair, Pi Artworks, Tüyap Exhibition Hall, Tepebaşı, ISTANBUL 2001 "Balkan Art Istanbul 2001", Pi Artworks, ISTANBUL 2001 "Voices from Homeland", Karşı Art, ISTANBUL 2000 "Four Walls Atelier", Axa Oyak Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 2000 Naval Forces Paining Competition, 1st Place, ISTANBUL 2000 Tekel Painting Competition, 1st Place, ISTANBUL 2000 Treacherous Nights, Hafriyat Group, Asmalımescit, ISTANBUL 2000 "Domestic Goods", Elhamra Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 1999 4th Turkish Jokey Club Painting Competition, ISTANBUL 1999 "Geography Losing It s Identity / Vanishing Roots", Elhamra Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 1998 "Istanbul Art Fair", Passion Art Gallery, Tüyap Exhibition Hall, ISTANBUL 1998 Beytem Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 1998 Passion Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 1998 Drawings Elhamra Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 1996 Nadya Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 1995 "A Cross-section of Young Turkish Painting1", Mine Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 1995 "Two Tendencies, Four Intention", Atatürk Cultural Center, ISTANBUL 1994 “New Trends", Mimar Sinan University, Osman Hamdi Hall, ISTANBUL 1993 "Emerging Artists", Etibank Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 1993 Mimar Sinan University, Junge Künstler Sichvor, Frankfurt GERMANY, Vienna, AUSTRIA 1992 "Sanart", Turkish-British Culture Association Gallery, ANKARA 1992 "Nudes", Turkish-British Culture Association Gallery, ANKARA 1989 "Drawings", Urart Art Gallery, ANKARA 1989 "Drawings from Nine Figurative Painters", Sanfa Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 1989 "Drawings from Nine Figurative Painters," Urart Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 1987 "Neşe Erdok Atelier", Urart Art Gallery, ISTANBUL 1986 "Şeref Akdik Art Prizes", Mimar Sinan University, Osman Hamdi Hall, ISTANBUL 1985 "Youth year, Young Painters", Urart Art Gallery, ISTANBUL |
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