erdal duman
erdal duman
artSümer is pleased to host Erdal Duman’s fourth solo exhibition at the gallery. For this exhibition, Duman was inspired by the world order, as he was in his previous exhibitions, and this time his focus is on the notion of post-truth*. Erdal Duman describes the world as a “massive cylinder”, presenting it in a few different forms, which are accompanied by sculptures and installations depicting people, trapped in their own bell-jars and flags, which we deem to be symbols of sovereignty, questioning the presence of subjecthood through the concept of post-truth.
Erdal Duman’s departure point is our contemporaneous times, dealing with the phenomenon of thoughts being determined more by personal opinions and beliefs than objective facts; Duman proposes a new “reality” with his work Theorem, based on debates on the shape of the earth, just like those in the medieval times. The circulation of made-up ideas engineer societies and the real danger here, is the silence of the subject taken over by stretched truths and populist policies. The artist condemns the transformation of the rational subject, who has progressed to this day through their intelligence, technology, science, art, philosophy, politics, and history, into creatures living in their own bell-jars. Duman asks the viewers: “What happened to the subject that they abandoned this world? When did this happen? And when they are needed once again, will they be able to come back?”
Duman further points out, “As truth rapidly loses its importance, the ground that society stands on starts to melt and the subject becomes an entity that can be pulled in any direction, drifting in the vacuum. Societies are convinced that they are somehow independent and free. Their faiths, languages, cultures are different and these distinctions are visible as colors of the fabric. However, this fabric is the same everywhere. There is a different world in their minds and in this world order, the individual is a member of the exploited class, buried in silence at a site with contours delineated by the dominant ideology.” The artist presents his real opinion on flags in his work titled Perdelik Amerikan Bezi [American Cloth for Drapery].
Through his exhibition Neither Flat, Nor Round: The World is a Cylinder, the artist asks both himself and the viewers whether we will be able to spot once again the rational subject, who defends social justice, income equality, social rights, and freedom of religion, and leaves the question to be answered in time.
Erdal Duman (b. 1976, Germany) graduated from Hacettepe University, department of sculpture in 2002 and completed his master’s degree in 2006 at the same institution. He co-founded Yaygara, an artist initiative in 2007 and organized many panel discussions along with exhibitions. His works have been exhibited at venues such as artSümer gallery; Evliyagil Museum; Cer Modern; Gallery Nev; DEPO, 1st Mardin Biennial; Kunstlerhaus, Vienna and Modena, Italy. He is currently working towards his DFA at Hacettepe University. He lives and works in Ankara.
artSümer is pleased to host Erdal Duman’s fourth solo exhibition at the gallery. For this exhibition, Duman was inspired by the world order, as he was in his previous exhibitions, and this time his focus is on the notion of post-truth*. Erdal Duman describes the world as a “massive cylinder”, presenting it in a few different forms, which are accompanied by sculptures and installations depicting people, trapped in their own bell-jars and flags, which we deem to be symbols of sovereignty, questioning the presence of subjecthood through the concept of post-truth.
Erdal Duman’s departure point is our contemporaneous times, dealing with the phenomenon of thoughts being determined more by personal opinions and beliefs than objective facts; Duman proposes a new “reality” with his work Theorem, based on debates on the shape of the earth, just like those in the medieval times. The circulation of made-up ideas engineer societies and the real danger here, is the silence of the subject taken over by stretched truths and populist policies. The artist condemns the transformation of the rational subject, who has progressed to this day through their intelligence, technology, science, art, philosophy, politics, and history, into creatures living in their own bell-jars. Duman asks the viewers: “What happened to the subject that they abandoned this world? When did this happen? And when they are needed once again, will they be able to come back?”
Duman further points out, “As truth rapidly loses its importance, the ground that society stands on starts to melt and the subject becomes an entity that can be pulled in any direction, drifting in the vacuum. Societies are convinced that they are somehow independent and free. Their faiths, languages, cultures are different and these distinctions are visible as colors of the fabric. However, this fabric is the same everywhere. There is a different world in their minds and in this world order, the individual is a member of the exploited class, buried in silence at a site with contours delineated by the dominant ideology.” The artist presents his real opinion on flags in his work titled Perdelik Amerikan Bezi [American Cloth for Drapery].
Through his exhibition Neither Flat, Nor Round: The World is a Cylinder, the artist asks both himself and the viewers whether we will be able to spot once again the rational subject, who defends social justice, income equality, social rights, and freedom of religion, and leaves the question to be answered in time.
Erdal Duman (b. 1976, Germany) graduated from Hacettepe University, department of sculpture in 2002 and completed his master’s degree in 2006 at the same institution. He co-founded Yaygara, an artist initiative in 2007 and organized many panel discussions along with exhibitions. His works have been exhibited at venues such as artSümer gallery; Evliyagil Museum; Cer Modern; Gallery Nev; DEPO, 1st Mardin Biennial; Kunstlerhaus, Vienna and Modena, Italy. He is currently working towards his DFA at Hacettepe University. He lives and works in Ankara.