Rugül Serbest
Just Die Smiling Into My Eyes - Curated by Taner Ceylan
15 May - 28 Jun 2025
Istanbul
Just Die Smiling Into My Eyes presents an emotional map that explores the boundaries of love, longing, and social constraint. Through works that turn both her body and inner world into an expressive surface, Serbest places the viewer within a space of raw emotional and aesthetic tension.
The artist describes love as “a self-destruction filled with unreachable desires and irrational limits.” In this exhibition, love takes on divine and everyday forms—erotic, transcendent, and destructive. Art historical references, from Raphael to Courbet, Vermeer to Caravaggio, merge with Serbest’s personal experiences, mirroring the layered nature of love.
“Love drives me mad,” says Serbest. “I must deal with this curse—this part of myself that refuses to settle for less. Art, like love, is both murder and suicide.”
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