Layer upon layer of colour coated metal wires, meticulously wound around purposely positioned screws, shroud the surface of Gülay Semercioğlu’s works. Originally a painter, such a medium allows her to mimic the fluidity of an artist’s brush stroke. However, her process calls to mind the traditional weaving techniques of Turkey and the inherent precision of such craftwork. The resulting interplay of light and colour, allows the multidimensionality inherent in each work to come to life through undulating forms and perceived vibrations.
2011
Three S
175 x 175 cm | Wire, screws and on wood board
“My whole struggle is with light and how I can control it – the same issue painters have faced throughout the history of art,” she says. “Whatever it is that a painter seeks to do in his or her work, I am trying to do the same with wire, with the same emotion.”
Semercioğlu was born in 1968 in Istanbul. She studied at the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University from 1989 to 1994. After graduating, she undertook an MA in Social science studies. In 1995, she became Director of Derimod Art Centre and from 1999 until 2008, she taught art at Yeditepe University. She currently lives in Istanbul, Turkey.
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