Untitled, from the series Counter-Act, 2011 by Uygur Yilmaz
Untitled, from the series Counter-Act, 2011 by Uygur Yilmaz
Untitled, from the series Missing Parts, 2008 by Uygur Yilmaz
Untitled, from the series Missing Parts, 2008 by Uygur Yilmaz
Untitled, from the series Missing Parts, 2007 by Uygur Yilmaz
Uygur Yilmaz
Website: http://www.uyguryilmaz.com
Bio:
Uygur Yılmaz (Mersin, 1975) is a self-taught photography artist, living and working in Istanbul. Most of his work focuses on the tension between abstract and reality, the banal and poetic, applying a detached and reductive photographic language. He also published two poetry books of short and experimental pieces. He is represented by Galeri NON, Istanbul.
Artist Statements:
Counter-Act: It's a true story and a false promise. It's a series of questions designed for the camera. It's an ongoing work. It's a childish reaction. It's counter-painting. It's executed on my kitchen counter.
Missing Parts is a photographic series limited to the Susanoglu Beach and its off seasons, in terms of space and time. The project has been realized through returning to Susanoglu many times, working repeatedly on the subject, and has intensified, gaining a sharper focus since 2004. Social and political issues inevitably come into frame of this series immediately, as the area has been rapidly urbanized since the '80s. Limiting the study to the off season might be an attempt to question the flipside of leisure culture—investigating the pain to understand the pleasure better. The tourism boom, and its utterly devastating effects, are still at work today. But the transformation and its social or cultural implications are not the core issues of this project. Far from claiming to be an objective photographic documentary, the artist defines Missing Parts as a series about documenting the euphoria of a raised awareness and is a personal project. Commonplace things become the visual material of an extraordinary experience; the banal reveals its poetic aspect. Worn out things become brand new questions and are rehandled, emphasizing their simplicity and formal elements, foregrounding their subtle palettes with painterly concerns. The fact that the location has a significant importance in the artist's memories since the early days of his childhood also deepens the emphasis on the personal nature of the project.