Undefined Zones
The starting point for these works was a series of maps I found in my studio. Maps evoke many associations for me: territorial ownership, borders, and the identities they shape; the interconnectedness of roads, cities, and countries, signified through lines, colors, and dots. All these topographical representations serve as attempts to define the world, to bring it under control. They highlight the relationship between power and knowledge. In my work, I aim to blend these representational signs with an abstract approach to painting, exploring the relationship between the body and its territorial possessions.

One piece, the Official Board, represents office furniture commonly seen in Turkish state offices. It’s a large board covered in quilted leather (typically dark) that hangs behind the chair of a high-ranking official, such as a mayor, police chief, or party leader. This furniture, ironically, serves no practical function beyond symbolizing the power of the person seated in front of it. Another motif linked to this theme is camouflage. By inserting characters—a soldier, a woman, a dog—within these non-representational patches, I aim to convey a narrative of violence and power.

A further theme centers on the city of Istanbul and the Bosphorus Bridge, which I consider a symbolic landmark of the city. The Bosphorus is more than a passage; it is a veil over the past, a focal point of tension, a site for suicides, a line sketching the face of the city, and a turbulent tide. Undefined Zones reflect on these representational symbols that delineate our identities. I aim to deconstruct these signs on canvas, creating new forms and combinations through abstraction and decontextualization.