03/04/2023 | Writer: Kaos GL

Mixer announced Ekin Keser's first solo exhibition, entitled "I Searched for Something Within Myself," between April 8 and May 13, 2023.

Ekin Keser's first solo exhibition: I Searched for Something Within Myself Kaos GL - News Portal for LGBTI+

Through a variety of media, including photographs, documents, and found objects, Keser undertakes a reconstruction of his own existence, reinterpreting his experiences through the memories and records of others. By weaving together stories that intersect and resonate with one another, the exhibition highlights the fundamental similarities that exist between people, regardless of ideological or cultural differences. Ultimately, Keser aims to complete his own story of existence by incorporating the stories of others, using them as a mirror through which to define himself. Through his works, which feature tools such as charcoal, collage, and installation, the artist explores relationality as a dominant knot, rather than establishing his "self" as rooted or atomized.

Keser's series "I Searched for Something Within Myself," features compositions created with found photographs and documents of people from diverse social backgrounds. By questioning the relationship between society and the individual, Keser seeks to propose a common language to his audience through these stories. Through his work, he aims to enable his audience to establish a common language with his works and to seek something from themselves. The exhibition also features a work titled "Who Am I? Where Am I Going?" in which the artist examines the effects of social, political, cultural, and individual issues on his being. By dividing his class-discriminated and marginalized body into pieces, Keser creates a defense mechanism based on the process, transforming the situation into a game.

In his installation "The Unsifted," Keser uses old family photographs, which were torn apart following the psychological violence his mother was exposed to after he came out to his family about his sexual orientation. By combining these photographs with pieces from his mother's favorite sieve collection, Keser symbolizes his strong bond with those who cannot be sifted. This installation serves as a response to the social repression of the witch-ization of women. The artist positions the memory patterns in his works in a way that pierces boundaries while reshaping experiences themselves, transforming the photographs he found and making lost lives visible.

The exhibition "I Searched for Something Within Myself" reveals the influence of Stoic philosophy on the artist, as he disrupts society's mechanisms of power based on gender, race, and species. Through his works, Keser creates breathing spaces and builds microcosmos on a small shore, refusing to limit himself to a single place. This exhibition serves as his starting point, marking the beginning of a journey towards self-discovery and reflection.

Ekin Keser, I Searched for Something Within Myself

08.04 - 13.05.2023

Opening: April 8, Saturday

Hours: 18.00 - 20.00

Address: Mixer, Mumhane St. No: 50, Floor ‐1, Karaköy, Istanbul

Phone: 0212 243 54 43

Web: www.mixerarts.com

Email: info@mixerarts.com


Tags: arts and culture
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