26/02/2022 - 30/04/2022

Zilberman Project Space, Istanbul is pleased to announce the opening of A highlight of one one two one two three, which will be exhibited between 26 February – 30 April 2022 in Istanbul. The exhibition presents a highlight of the artist Zeynep Kayan’s solo exhibition one one two one two three that is on view at Zilberman | Berlin between 22 February – 23 April 2022. The section includes artist’s video installation and photograph works on display at the second floor of the historical Misir Building at Zilberman Istanbul.

Zeynep Kayan’s solo exhibition one one two one two three comprises videos and stills presented both individually and in series. Over the years, the artist often referenced dance choreographies, for example the performance Accumulation by Trisha Brown, which the choreographer described as follows: “One simple gesture is presented. This gesture is repeated until it is thoroughly integrated into my kinesthetic system. Gesture 2 is then added. Gesture 1 and 2 are repeated until they are assimilated, then gesture 3 is added. I continue adding gestures until my system can support no further additions.” The title of the exhibition is in step with this rhythm of repeat and variation: one one two one two three.

The videos can be playful: reduced and everyday gestures and noises are used, such as pressing, gripping, tapping, often with a self-reflexive mode inherent in them. The respective sections create tension between the seen and the expected, the movement and continuation observed in the presentation. Frontal camera perspectives level the spatial depth, but the sound in turn creates an illusion of space.

Kayan’s starting material is moving images. Videos and video stills developed from them sometimes exist alongside each other, but sometimes only the video stills remain. Kayan subjects them to further processing: they are photographed from the computer screen or printed out using an old printer before being scanned in again. This leads to a reduced spatiality and puts the focus on the material condition of the surface and haptics. It becomes more difficult to access the motifs, moving as they do between figuration and abstraction.

The black-and-white video stills photographed from the screen show the different moments of a movement: loose coils of black threads. The artist is directing the image in a way that is similar to the Parcae in ancient mythology weaving the thread of life, which those affected are unable to see. In Kayan’s work, it is the boundaries of the image section that are hiding the full picture from the observer’s view. They can only reconstruct the continuity of movement from the moments captured.

Another work shows the artist and her shadow on the wall. There is a pool net, protruding into the image from the bottom edge, over her head. A motif is being captured in the literal sense of the word. The emphasised horizontal format resembles the dimensions of a cinema screen while the heavy black-and-white contrasts and shadow casts are reminiscent of Expressionist film. As with the video described at the beginning, the movement is pushing out of the image and the figure moving backwards is retreating from us, but is then stopped by the back wall barring any way out.

Zeynep Kayan systematically alters limited movement material and tries it out in consistently new variations that form part of a movement inventory and express different emotions, including also frustration, which is provoked if the movements are too complicated or the space too tight. Repetitions are often the result of wrong movements. Failure can lead to deviations and improvisation. When making fresh attempts, chance occurrences can often open up unexpected possibilities. Our every experience is similar. It is recognition that gives rise to the inner cohesion of these works.

Zeynep Kayan (1986, Ankara) graduated from the Faculty of Communication and Design, Bilkent University, and received her MA degree in Fine Arts from MaHKU, Utrecht, The Netherlands. From September 2022, Zeynep Kayan will be an Artist in Residence at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She is co-founder of the independent art space Torun in Ankara. Recent solo shows and presentations include: Zona Maco Foto, (Mexico, 2022); Temporary Sameness (Zilberman Gallery, Istanbul, 2019), UNSEEN Amsterdam (Amsterdam, 2019), Constructed (Zilberman Gallery, Istanbul, 2016). Kayan's work has been shown in numerous group shows including Protocinema (Istanbul, 2021), Asian Art Museum (San Francisco, 2021), Evliyagil Museum (Ankara, 2020); Helsinki Contemporary Gallery (Helsinki, 2020); RijksOpen (Rijksakademie, Amsterdam, 2019 & Salt Galata, Istanbul, 2018); Field Meeting (New York, 2015); Rezan Has Museum (Istanbul, 2013); 1st Tbilisi Triennial (Center of Contemporary Art, Tbilisi, 2012); Istanbul Modern, Istanbul, 2011. Kayan was awarded second prize in the 2017 Kassel Dummy Book Award. The subsequent book was published by Akinabooks and launched at Unseen Amsterdam 2018.

For further information, please contact Naz Kocadere: naz@zilbermangallery.com

Exhibition Works