´In this project; I am talking about the unity of everything, and the way in which, because of this unity, all things complement each other and together can be part of a continuity that makes up a whole. With that in mind, I took photographs that seemed utterly independent from each other, laid them on top of each other, and created an integrated design through elements such as lines, colors, textures, and shadows.´
Born in 1996, Gözde Korkmaz is an Ankara based artist and currently an MFA student of Communication and Design in Bilkent University.
Highly influenced by the forms of nature, her pieces melt in the same pot, in which the contrasts of the different realities to reveal the wholeness of the diverse subjects.
NCOUNTERS Selected Works I proudly features pieces from her series recently displayed at the BASE 2020 exhibition, which took place November 20–25 at the Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Center in İstanbul (Can be reached here).
NCOUNTERS: In which city did you grow up? How did you form your early aesthetics and how did it evolve?
Gözde Korkmaz: I was born and raised in Ankara. I started taking pictures at a very young age. I have always been keen to look around me as carefully as possible and record what I see. Later, I met analog photography. This method opened the doors of experimental work for me and I started to reflect the environments as I wanted to see them, regardless of what I actually saw. Later, the excitement of being able to do experimental work introduced me to the collage technique. I started making cut and paste collages with everything I had in my room. This method allowed me to work freely. Every object I saw could be part of my collages; and it still goes on like this.
The fact that I studied Communication and Design at the university allowed me to develop these methods I was working on and at the same time gave me an idea about areas that were new to me, such as video art.
I generally have a dark, high-contrast aesthetic in my photographs and collages. For a while now, I've started to look at everything as close as possible. I like to see the whole, the unity, and the things that make nature as detailed and close as possible. This look is endless; life is continually expanding!
by Gözde Korkmaz
´I was inspired by nature in this work. Everything that I have encountered in daily life and examined carefully for about eight months is a part of this project. That's why the project evolved with the development of my life and the person I am. It is still a very open concept for improvement and continuation.´
What have you observed in your local and underground art scenes? Do you see any effects of political situation on the scene? Can you give some examples?
Besides the political situations, I can say that the Ankara underground scene has a dynamic structure in itself. Of course, the increase in arts and entertainment areas would be quite good, but in general, it can be said that the places that exist have a specific audience and a wide range of activities as possible. It is possible to find places that allow people to express themselves freely, but it may not be sufficient.
by Gözde Korkmaz
What challenges or opportunities did you go through in your local scene? Can you point-out tous some problems and things that you want to change?
While creating my art, I haven’t been confronted with a problem personally and I was able to produce everything that I had in mind. But to mention a general problem, I think that few organizations support art and artists. The lack of this support affects society's desire or consciousness to be with art and causes the artist to have limited opportunities to promote their art. Production should be supported by society's understanding of art and organizations that will support artists.
by Gözde Korkmaz
Do you see any disadvantages of your particular identity such as gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or political view when you find space for your art?
I personally haven't encountered such a disadvantage yet, but that doesn't mean I won't or that the people around me don't. Too many people may not find a space to show their art for such reasons.
What is this project about? What is the inspiration behind it? What were the struggles that you faced along the production phase?
In this project; I'm talking about the unity of everything, and the way in which, because of this unity, all things complement each other and together can be part of a continuity that makes up a whole. With that in mind, I took photographs that seemed utterly independent from each other, laid them on top of each other, and created an integrated design through elements such as lines, colors, textures, and shadows.
I was inspired by nature in this work. Everything that I have encountered in daily life and examined carefully for about eight months is a part of this project. That's why the project evolved with the development of my life and the person I am. It is still a very open concept for improvement and continuation.
While working on the project, the country I lived in was also affected by the pandemic. Therefore, although my field of observation was narrowed a little, this narrowing situation opened the door to a completely different inspiration for me. I started seeing things in the house that I had not seen before.
by Gözde Korkmaz
What is the main source of inspiration for you? How do you locate your art and artistic perspective?
My inspiration is nature. And when I say nature, I am talking about an all-encompassing concept, leaving nothing out. That's why I watch the reflections of nature everywhere, in everything, at any moment. I reflect these observations in my work. Everything is so enormous as it happens at any moment. With the ever-changing dynamics of life, there is no end to observe it. The more we observe, the more things to see are revealed to those looking. With this point of view, I keep getting to know myself as well. What I see is also my reflection and interpretation of what I understand. This is basically what I do in life. Every moment of my life serves these observations. That’s why I can say that what I do is the art of attention.
by Gözde Korkmaz
What are your future plans?
The concept of the future has drastically changed its meaning for me. I am in a state of deepening my focus in the present moment, free from the past and the future. Of course, I think of the future, but I look at the future from the moment I am in. I live what the moment brings. My plan for the future may be to continue staying in the moment. And if I can contribute to the collective consciousness with the works I create while I deepen my understanding of staying in the moment, lucky me!
by Gözde Korkmaz
Any final remarks or anything else to add?
I wish everyone to live in a consciousness that they can realize what they have and the power and joy of being aware of the ability to transform the moment in which they live. Stay with love and joy of truth and virtue!
by Gözde Korkmaz
Editor: Rachel Laquidara
Instagram of the artist: gozdebye
All visuals by Gözde Korkmaz (2020)