Artist explores light refraction, colors, ice at new exhibition

Galerist, one of Istanbul's most prominent art galleries, will host artist İdil İlkin's third solo exhibition from March 4 to April 2. Focusing on atmospheric optical perception through light, refraction, dispersion, wavelength, multi-crystalline structures and resonance with her works, İlkin demonstrates the climatic change caused by melting glaciers and snow through digital images, light boxes and stamps in her exhibition titled "Crystagram." İlkin explores the psychological stages of depression that is evoked by the reality of extinction through melting ice. She compares the helpless state of anxiety caused by the cooling and transformation process coupled by her feelings of an inevitable peace, submission, satisfaction and security, to death or wasting away. She accepts that producing artwork that is affected by various things we see every day and the geography that we live in is directly related to the concept of identity, but she puts great effort to assume a different approach to the concept of identity, geography and psychology. İlkin believes that things related to subjectivity and belonging are autonomous as well as naturally compliant complex structures. She thinks that the geographical features around people serve as lenses or filters to reflect their inner selves. Using these filters, İlkin puts individuals and geography, and especially herself, under the microscope and shares the inner dialogue she experienced while freely wandering among dispersed reflections with the help of different color glasses.

About İdil İlkin

Born in Istanbul, İlkin received her bachelor's degree from Yeditepe University's Department of Arts Management in 2002. She later decided to continue her studies abroad and completed her master's degree in Fine Arts from Chelsea College of Art and Design. Although she produced art during her studies, İlkin was initially shy to present her work, but she began to open up more to the art community in 2010. During her master's studies she joined a museum expert training project initiated by the Istanbul Culture and Art Foundation. İlkin held her first solo exhibition, "Landing Clearance," in 2013 at Galerist. In her work, she creates a rhythm and circularity between repetitive elements, just like sound, and ponders the color-sound relationship as well as the human body as an instrument. She also engages in experimental endeavors with her voice.