Projection of the Phenomenon (Olgunun İzdüşümü): Curatorial Thesis & Exhibition Design
"The exhibition 'Projection of the Phenomenon' functions as a visual inquiry into Michel Foucault’s theories of power, specifically focusing on the intersection of the unconscious and the concept of death. In this curatorial framework, I examine power not merely as a mechanism of repression but as a productive force that constructs truth and knowledge through the individual.
I utilized the works of G. Kılavuz and S. Erdem as aesthetic instruments to map the internal power dynamics and the subconscious nature of the human psyche. In this conceptual layout, death is positioned as the ultimate frontier where power faces its sharpest trial. By directing the artists’ outputs toward a confrontation with systemic helplessness and terminality, I designed an experience that compels the viewer to engage with the aestheticization of universal power forms. The exhibition serves as a manifestation of how personal and collective narratives are manufactured under the gaze of authority."
G. Kılavuz (b. 1996, İzmir): Academic training at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts and Dokuz Eylül University.
Curatorial Note on Bio-Power: "The artist’s engagement with dementia functions as a biological case study within the exhibition. By deconstructing the memory-subject relationship through oil and acrylic textures, the work visualizes the final frontier where the individual's inner sovereignty is dissolved by neurological decay—a direct echo of Foucault’s 'power over life'."
S. Erdem (b. 1996, Kayseri): Academic training at Dokuz Eylül University.
Curatorial Note on Perceptual Thresholds: "Utilizing a semiotic assemblage of plaster, metal, and found materials, Erdem constructs a 'reality beyond reality.' This intervention aims to de-condition the viewer’s pre-learned fears, forcing a confrontation with the threshold where established truths are manipulated and redefined by the gaze of the observer."
Provenance: Projection of the Phenomenon
Artfulliving | "Projection of the Phenomenon: A Curatorial Analysis on Memory, Space, and Representation" Read Full Review
İz Gazete | "Visual Anatomy of Dementia: Somatic Memory and the Projections of Illness on Canvas" View News
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