Turkey and United States
Statement
Her transdisciplinary practice integrates static against time-based, virtual within physical, traditional with new media to evoke the baffling and often bizarre narratives of identity. While Ilknur’s earlier work traced the stereotype of “The Turk” in western art and literature, later work of hers explores the mechanisms of power that enable the formation of hyper-accentuated politicised identities. Her attention now, is further focused on the matter of women’s hair. The artist compares the metaphors used in ancient mythologies to understand contemporary cultural attitudes and religious taboos surrounding the follicles on women’s heads.
Her interest in hair started with the religious Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) rise to power in her native country, Turkey in 2003. Over the next decade, AKP orchestrated a series of violent operations that transformed the secular republic into an increasingly religious dictatorship. While every regressive blow resulted in diminishing civil rights, especially for women, AKP’s publicity arm paid careful attention to forefront images of veiled women celebrating the party’s victories. Ilknur’s newest body of work intercepts this absurd dynamic by exploring the unspoken, censored messages communicated through the symbolism of female hair.
Profile
GlogauAIR resident from January 2020 to March 2020
GlogauAIR Project
In my quest to understand the contemporary social and religious taboos ascribed to the female hair, I trace the various ways in which female hair serves as metaphors in the legends, and myths of ancient Anatolian, and central asian cultures. More importantly, I draw parallels to the ways in which these stories relate to contemporary cultural attitudes and policies that affect women today. One such example is the tragedy of Medusa. A tragedy in which a woman who attracts the attention of her rapist, is punished through horrible disfigurement instead of her aggressor. Indeed her punishment is not unlike the acid attacks that similarly disfigure women who simply say no, or dare to speak out.
In a more refreshing twist, my obsessive curiosity to understand the symbolism of female hair, took me to a surprising discovery in the abstract language of Turkish kilims. In this traditional craft practiced solely by women, the references to female hair often symbolize happiness and celebration. Using the weaver’s own hair, however, expresses her desire for eternal life, or immortality.
Puzzled and even more intrigued than before, my newest body of work that is currently under its early developmental phase, explores this ancient symbolic language through series of paintings and sculptural objects. I employ a variety of modern crafting techniques, tools, and technologies to translate this primeval language into our contemporary time. My goal during this residency is to fully develop this body of work with the hope to introduce my work and to discover a potential audience in the arts community of Berlin.
CV Summary
EDUCATION
- 2006 MFA, California Institute of the Arts. Valencia, CA
- 2004 BA, University of California, Riverside. Riverside, CA
AWARDS, GRANTS & RESIDENCIES
- 2019 Residency. ChaNorth Artists Residency. Pine Plains, NY
- 2019 Residency. Visiting artist. The Evergreen State College. Olympia, WA
- 2010 Residency. K2 Contemporary Art Center. Izmir, Turkey.
- 2003-2004 Fellowship. Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. University of California, Riverside, CA
- 2003-2004 Fellowship. Gluck Fellowship Program of the Arts. University of California, Riverside, CA
PROJECTS, PERFORMANCES & SHOWS
- 2019 The Other Is Not. Evergreen State College. Olympia, Washington.
- 2017 FAR Bazaar 2017. Cerritos College, Cerritos California.
- 2016 Sympathetic Resonance: An Evening of Improvised Alchemy. Highways Performance Space and Gallery. Los Angeles, California.
- 2016 Are We There Yet? Demo launch. University of Gothenburg, Sweden. [three-person]
- 2013 Chapul San Diego! Mesa College. San Diego, California.
- 2013 Chapul’LA: An Evening of Art, Music, Food, and Chapulling. Highways Performance Space and Gallery. Los Angeles, California.
- 2012 Letter To Los Angeles . Collaborative work with Vuslat Demirkoparan. Mulholland Dérive. Los Angeles Road Concerts. Los Angeles, California.
- 2012 This Never Happened # 2 . Kwartnik. Irvine, California.
- 2012 7th Berlin Biennale. ArtWiki Project
- 2010 The Moment of Privacy Has Passed: Sketchbooks by Artists, Architects and Designers. The Usher Gallery. Lincoln, United Kingdom.
- 2010 This Never Happened. K2 Contemporary Art Center. Izmir, Turkiye.
- 2009 Untitled Installation. Ozdere Belediyesi Art Gallery. Ozdere, Turkiye.
- 2008 Corrective Lenses: Challenging Representations of Women of Color in Art. Jock Turcotte Centre, University of Ottawa, Canada.
- 2006 Improvisations. Open Fist Theater. Hollywood, CA
- 2006 Collisions and Pileups: Calarts MFA Graduate Exhibition. The Armory Center for the Arts. Pasadena, CA
- 2006 Tijen the Turk Leaves Her Barbarian Mark… Mint Gallery. CalArts, Valencia, CA
- 2005 MFA Mid Residency Exhibition. CalArts, Valencia, CA
- 2005 Sims Old Town Gallery v2. Stevenson Blanche Gallery. CalArts, Valencia, CA
- 2005 Sims Old Town Gallery v1. Her Majesty’s Project Space, H.M.P.S. CalArts, Valencia, CA
- 2004 Untitled 31, 04 Senior Thesis Exhibition. Sweeney Art Gallery, University of California, Riverside, CA
- 2004 Improvisations. California Museum of Photography. Riverside, CA
- 2004 Teknika Radica: Powering Up / Powering Down. University of California, San Diego, CA
- 2003 Showcase Alive. University of California, Riverside, CA
- 2003 Move, Leave the Meaning to Dry. University of California, Riverside, CA
- 2002 New Media, New Work. Roy O. Disney Hall. CalArts, Valencia, CA
