En nu? Gurel Konuralp
A general view from the Graduation show at KABK, July 2013
My years at the academy coincided with the period in which the economic crisis sprawled and with the period of Arab Spring and Occupy Movement. Demands for change, more equal rights, and more democracy were made by people in different countries. The observation of these developments and my desire to work at the intersection of politics, economics and society motivated me as an artist to reflect on the issue of equality which seems like an eternal challenge for mankind.
Equality is a criterion, a value, a fight of human beings to convert them into a higher degree of humanity level. It looks as if mankind is once more in a transition period in which old ideologies should be redefined in order to answer the questions of the new millennium or in which new ideologies may have to be defined. I believe that art – as it did in the European history since the French Revolution – can play an important role by relating to the problems of the society.
Abstraction was used by the 20th century modernism to shape a better society. I took this as a reference point and experimented with the universally accepted mathematical ‘equal’ sign to obtain balance and harmony in form/color.
For example, in the work of “Aequalis, nunc et in perpetuum” (Equality, now and forever) I used opposite colors indicating diversity in the behavior of people but at the same time I sought harmony and balance between them. The red close composition refers to “now” and the green open composition refers to “forever”. The other layer in the work is its diptych form referring to the equal sign. The obtained harmony and balance in my painting language refers to a similar desire in the societies where individual colors can be preserved.
“Aequalis, nunc et in perpetuum”, acrylic on canvas, 2013
Art is a production of the human being, the relationship between human beings is a production of human beings as well, and so, can we say that art is a relationship between humans? This question summarizes my other fascination or passion. During my study at KABK I conducted a small survey at the preview exhibition last April and asked the viewers to summarize the spirit of the new millennium into one word. I integrated the answers in my recent works using text in a diptych form, ‘Hate-Fear’ and ‘Just-Fair’. I would like to continue to produce art where the viewers actively (with their reflections or presence) participate and become – in a way – part of the artwork.
Hate and Fear, acrylic on canvas, 2013.
Just and Fair, acrylic on canvas,2013.
When considering the question ‘En nu?’ I will continue searching for harmony and balance using the most important element of painting: color. I want to use color both as a substance and as a sign. This implies that in my paintings color simultaneously functions as a referential and as a differential sign, which gives me an endless possibility of varieties and combinations.