Artist Handan Börüteçene's most comprehensive exhibition to date, "In the Realm of Three Inland Seas," refers to a geography inspired by the artist's cultural heritage and myths, as much as the earth, soil and blues. Anatolia and Thrace opens at Garanti BBVA's Salt Beyoğlu.
The exhibition brings forth many of the artist's works, ranging from early pieces created for her graduation project to the award-winning installation "Break/See" ("Kır/Gör") (1985) and large-scale sculptures placed in public spaces in Istanbul from her terracotta series shown at the Urart Art Gallery in 1987. Tracing the path of an art practice that challenges memory loss, the exhibition provides a comprehensive exploration of Börüteçene's passions, recurring themes, persistently pursued issues and new developments in her work.
Born in Istanbul, Börüteçene was captivated by the extensive history and multilayered visuals of the city where she grew up. Her interest and excitement for the past became evident during her childhood years when she explored archaeology books in her father's library and visited the Istanbul Archaeological Museums with her family. Her mother, Ms. Hesna, was a master of embroidery, and the colorful crystal beads, sequins and pearls scattered around while she worked reinforced the artist's relationship with color and form.
She started her ceramic education at the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts, Börüteçene. Due to her desire to break free from the "four walls," she participated in archaeological fieldwork with a keen interest in learning from the history of the soil. Her first excavation experience at the ancient city of Arykanda coincided with the final period of her academic education. After graduating in 1981, the artist moved to Paris and worked for two years (1982-1984) in the sculpture studios of Georges Jeanclos and Cesar (Baldaccini) at l'Ecole nationale superieure des Beaux-Arts (The National School of Fine Arts). She held her first solo exhibition in Paris and continued participating in significant exhibitions in Istanbul.
She participated in the 5th Exhibition of New Trends in Art within the scope of the Istanbul Art Festival at the Academy (1985) with the installation "Break/See." Inspired by Neolithic dwellings in Hacılar and Çatalhöyük, she constructed a mud-brick structure. Adorning its interior with technological tools, newspapers, banknotes and various everyday objects associated with the sacred items of the time, she invited viewers to break the cuneiform tablets. This influential work, which has earned a notable place in contemporary Turkish art discourse, examines the upheaval of the cityscape parallel to the cultural experiences of the 1980s. It reveals two main veins of Börüteçene's artistic production and their spiral relationships: "the memory of the Earth" that includes cultures, ages, genres and communication between people, and the knowledge derived from this communication.
In her works such as "Kitchen Army" (1984), "The Ironers" (1985), "Do Not Break/See" (1985-1987) and "Mass Miscommunication Tools, etc zzzz....bızzzz" (1987), she uses images, objects, texts and forms accumulated from the Neolithic era to the present to relate the past, present and future.
The artist continues to be a nomad in the triangle of Istanbul, Paris and Kaş. These relocations create a physical distance between her and her works over time if not a conceptual one. Some pieces that entered collections or were gifted to friends years ago disappeared, leaving no trace, and others were damaged for various reasons. As the use of open spaces in Istanbul changes, the purpose of her sculptures in public spaces diverges or is abandoned to its fate.
"In the Realm of Three Inland Seas," curated by Amira Akbıyıkoğlu from Salt, can be visited at Salt Beyoğlu until April 14.