Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Turkish museums and cultural sites have been closed temporarily. In response, some institutions have released their shows online or are hosting visitors in small groups by appointment, meaning enthusiasts do not have to keep a distance from art during this period of self-isolation.

One of these institutions is the Pg Art Gallery, which is located in the Çukurcuma neighborhood of the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul. The gallery launched a solo sculpture exhibition by Ayla Turan titled "Dangerous Games" on March 21. As the inauguration coincided with the novel coronavirus crisis, the show was released online on the social media accounts of the gallery.

When you step in the gallery, the first sculpture to welcome you is "Right on the Target," which depicts a child holding a slingshot toward the large window of the gallery. While showing this sculpture in an interview on YouTube, Turan says that she wants people to touch her sculptures and feel them; however, this is not possible due to the coronavirus.

For a while, the artist worked with the concept of how strong language is often deliberately suppressed, ignored and replaced by a more acceptable one represented by curves and spherical forms and volumes. These spherical forms, which are the source, seed and egg of rebirth, have become the main building blocks of her sculptures. From the very first sculpture, the round forms and the soft look capture the soul at the exhibition. But you also understand that the most terrible, aggressive and painful issues are also addressed in this round universe when you walk inside the gallery. Indeed, this is the way productive and creative feminine energy copes with the destructive and brutal world.

"Online" is another, relatively smaller child sculpture showcased at the gallery. This child sculpture uses a mobile phone and seems to be focusing on it at the expense of relations with the outer world. This sculpture highlights how cell phone addiction has become a real problem in the modern world. The recent social distancing has left us even more addicted to these technological devices.

Examining the sculpture, one can easily get absorbed in such thoughts. Just then, an installation comprising of records and small sculptures draws the attention on the opposite blue wall. The hands of the child figures are attached to the record and the whole sculpture revolves. According to Turan, the 30 child sculptures represent dependency which can be interpreted as family ties. This is why the artist named this work "Dependent."

One or two steps ahead of this installation, another large child figure with balloons around him appears before the visitors. In this work, titled "Top Secret," the child uses a golden, plastic key as a bubble blower. Noting that this key represents the key of heaven, Turan said she reflects something written in an unknown alphabet on these balloons through a projection. Revealing that she invented this alphabet during her childhood, she said that she can still use these letters when she wants to write something confidential. The artist chose this alphabet because she wanted to send a private message to art lovers. "As an artist, I found a way to tell what I want to tell with art. I use my art to reveal my confidential thoughts. This piece indicates that we can always find a way to tell something," she explained.

Next, another room through an arch opens to the visitors. However, a much bigger child sculpture that may initially appear scary waits in a corner. Even though the sculpture has a very delicate and pristine appearance, the effect created by this 2-meter sculpture is a bit disturbing because the child seems to be gazing at something hidden. Even though this sculpture, named "Find Me," is the largest in the exhibition, the whole figure cannot be seen as it is hidden behind a wall. The artist says that they placed this sculpture in this dark room on purpose to give the feeling of being stuck through the perspective of a child.

Although "Dangerous Games" is an interesting, eye-catching show with child figures, Turan's new period sculptures address and criticize some of the most unacceptable and darkest issues of the world and propose solutions to them through the naive but sharp-eyed, realistic and fair eyes of a child. You can witness the problems of today's civilization in full weight while wandering through the seemingly innocent world of the show.

Short walk through artist’s journey

Turan, who completed her education at Mimar Sinan University in the Fine Arts Faculty's Department of Sculpture in 1996, has produced numerous sculptures for exhibitions and public spaces in many countries around the world such as China, Mexico, Thailand, Japan and the U.S.

Creating art for 25 consecutive years, she continues her adventure in the creative process by using different materials such as marble, granite, metal, bronze and polyester.

And, in her latest experiment, she discovers the real world which is supported by the virtual one. You can accompany her on her recent journey by visiting her exhibition by appointment or online.