'Hello, I'm Leman, a woman artist from Turkey'

Leman S. Darıcıoğlu, an artist from Performistanbul, an art platform based in Istanbul, will present an installation at Jeonbuk Museum of Art in South Korea as a participant in the 3rd Asia Contemporary Art Exhibition between Sept. 1 and Dec. 3, 2017.

This year, the Asia Contemporary Art Exhibition focuses on the artistic and social characteristics of female Asian artists, featuring artwork of 24 women from 10 countries. From Turkey, Darıcıoğlu will present her work "Hello, I'm Leman, a Woman Artist from Turkey," which is an installation involving a video performance, a notebook with needlework titled, "A Woman Artist from Turkey" and a hand-written narrative titled, "The Diary of Body, Desire, Love and Transformation."

In her video performance, Darıcıoğlu had the symbol of Venus stitched onto her chest and the star and moon symbolizing the Turkish flag stitched on her back. Together with the personal narrative displayed as part of the performance, the artist questions assigned gender and national identity and how they have been carved on our bodies.

"My performance is based on the gender/sex and national identity that have been carved on our bodies, and it also investigates the body and its (re-)construction under the titles of emotions, transformation, desire and creation. While working, I share my personal life and intimacy and their impact on the transformation of my body and I dream of a new body through my narrative. By doing so, I aim to present the questions of what intimacy is and the distinction between personal and societal," Darıcıoğlu said of her work.

In addition to the exhibition, Darıcıoğlu will also join a conference at the larger exhibition as a speaker on Sept. 2 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. at the National Intangible Heritage Center.