ŞEVKET SÖNMEZ'S “LAZARUS REFLEX” EXHIBITION AT MERKUR 

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Şevket Sönmez, in his solo exhibition to be opened at MERKUR on September 20, 2018, defines a situation called the 'Lazarus Reflex' in the medical literature as the main theme of his latest works.

 

The Lazarus Reflex takes its name from the biblical story of resurrection. The prophet Jesus resurrects the youth named Lazarus before the eyes of the audience . Just like in the story told, this reaction in which the arms are folded as if hugging something in people who have just had brain death is called the 'Lazarus Reaction'. Şevket Sönmez establishes a connection between the aforementioned reflex and the effort to continue artistic production today.

 

It has been proven that this reflex, which may have emerged in the evolutionary process to be protected from dangers  or by hugging a branch to hold onto another while falling from the tree , does not originate from the human brain. -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ Today, it is possible to observe a similar attitude in people who "courage" to make art. Every action that passes a certain stage turns into a kind of reflex. This reflex takes the form of a “sign”.  At this point, the concept of 'sign' may be explanatory. As described in a story by Italo Calvino, the universe consists of a "web" of signs left in the void by beings who can never stop their cycle, in search of a landmark. Even if the marking work initially starts by decision, over time it becomes part of the inevitable cycle  and becomes the result of an automatic response. 

 

The artist, who sees his recent works as connected to such a mood, also presents works created with light sensitive materials and colors as a direct reference to the name of the exhibition bu  besides his large-scale watercolor works. We can say that Şevket Sönmez's technical experiments that spanned a long period reached a logical conclusion with this latest exhibition.

 

The Lazarus Reflex, where we will witness the transitive relationship between the concepts, material and technique that the artist is interested in, can be seen at MERKUR until October 20, 2018.