ZEYNEP ÇİLEK ÇİMEN'S “SPRING” EXHIBITION AT MERKUR 

Zeynep Çilek Çimen's 8th solo exhibition titled "SPRING" will open at MERKUR on Saturday, May 6, 2023.

 

Zeynep Çilek Çimen uses her traditional arts education and the practices of embroidery to re-examine the floral representations in the history of western art. Her floral motifs intertwined with opart touches confront each viewer with dimensions of meaning trapped in the background of their minds. The displays, which take their color from spring flowers, recall the phenomenon of emptiness in miniature art. The artist, who examines the artistic practice of Kara Memi, a visionary of his time, reinterprets his naturalistic style of stylized spring branches with her own approach. The stylized floral motifs, which create a perception of depth in a progressive order from transparent to opaque, repeat and de-identify themselves. Zeynep Çilek Çimen defines her art practice as follows:

 

"Old and obsolete are not the same thing. Some things never get old. Motifs are one of them. They are prepared with dreams, expectations and hopes; they reflect the aesthetic understanding, taste and even the view of life of the era; they have a meaning and beauty that transcends the purpose for which they were prepared. On the other hand, you know that life, as Baudelaire says, is a balance between what is permanent and what is temporary. And especially in modern times it is not possible to speak of cultural purity. Also, in order for traditions to survive, some individuals living in a society have to be willing to maintain them. In the midst of constant change, motifs change too."

 

Zeynep Çilek Çimen, Yeditepe University Plastic Arts Painting MA and Aydın University Art Management Graduate