THE DOUBLE SLIT EXPERIMENT "ON FACES" BY BILGE UGURSU

The Double Slit Experiment on “faces”

by Bilge Uğursu

Exhibition Catalogue

www.artnumber23.uk | London - Athens

• Introduction • Artist Interview • Featured Artworks

The Double Slit Experiment on “faces”

by Bilge Uğursu

Introduction

Berlin-based abstract artist. Describes her style as figurative abstract expressionist and uses mostly mixed media in all her artworks.

Developed her own concept, where she combines her classical paintings with digital art to create a smooth synthesis without any rules and conceptualizations. Therefore, her artworks are quite experimental with a contemporary spirit. You can see both brush strokes and digital pixels in her artworks and experience the unique perception of looking at a canvas and computer screen at the same time. Uses lots of psychological and scientific metaphors as she has always been amazed by the intersection of art and science.

Her creative artworks have been presented in many exhibitions including established international galleries. She will be featured in the upcoming issue of the Flux Review art magazine.

@artbabil1x1 bilgenisan@gmail.com

'The Queen' | 80 cm x 100 cm Mixed media “For my sister and for new beginnings”

'CITY' | 55 cm x 70 cm Mixed media

• How does your work comment on current social issues? (political, social, health issues, etc) Honestly, most of my work reflects political and social issues, especially in my country. Those pieces are not exhibited in my current solo exhibition because I am planning a different one with them. Coming to the part ‘how’, it really depends on the issue and its effects on my psychology. I can exemplify this quickly with one of my recent pieces ‘The King’. It actually reflects the dictatorship and its detrimental effects on people’s psychology. If you look closer, you can see a crown made of ‘noses’. This is a very subtle reflection of dictatorship if you connect the nose metaphor with the culture and history. I don’t like explaining my paintings becauseI love seeing a spectrum of different interpretations on the same artwork. But in a nutshell, this is how I prefer to reflect such issues in my works

• Is there any advice you would give to your younger self?

I honestly would tell her to chill! I was such a dramatic teenager.

I wish I could just stop worrying about my future and enjoyed my life better. Well, it is never too late and now I am trying to do that by following my dreams. But I wish I could tell her that she cannot ‘paint’ her future, it will just shape itself and there is no need to worry that much…So this is my call to all overdramatic and control-freak teenagers out there, chill guys!

• What is your most important artist tool? Is there something you can’t live without in your studio?

It weirds people out when they hear but I cannot paint without music. I feel like there is a button in my brain to start painting and music is the only way to push it. The weird part is not the idea of hearing music to get inspired because that is quite normal. In my case, I cannot draw anything without music. I have tried a lot but it never worked out. If anyhow I get hearing impairments one day, that would be the end of my art even though my hands or eyes are completely fine.

Give us some behind-the-scenes from the creating process / What is the last thing you do before starting working / What is the first thing you do when your work is done?

As I mentioned, the last thing I do is turning on the music. I don’t choose the songs so whatever comes first, it kind of shapes my painting. After I am done, I directly sleep because I generally paint in night. Most of the time, post-work sleep is the best one I get especially if I like where the painting is heading.

• Is there a connection between your process/the materials you use and the message you want to convey in your work?

Not always because sometimes your message evolves towards to the end so you cannot get to choose what materials to start with. But when I look at my portfolio, I can clearly see if the painting is reflecting my very personal feelings, fears, love, etc. I generally go with charcoal and stay in the classical concept. If it is a social issue, I generally go mostly with digital and do the final touches with my acrylic set. It think the deeper feelings get at a personal level, the more I get away from the computer screen.

'R.E.M' | 40cmx 55cm Mixed media

'Bel Air' | 50 cm x 60 cm Mixed media

'DREAM' | 35 cm x 45 cm Mixed media

'Coronation' | 30 cm x 30 cm Mixed media

• How do you define success in an artist’s career?

I know the intention would rely on the standard definition of success in society but for me, it is just the feeling of satisfaction. So if I am satisfied with my work, that is a success for me. If people appreciate it, of course that would make me happy because this is my way of communication. But even they don’t, this wouldn’t mean I am not successful. This would just mean there is a lack of communication and I am okay with it.

• What are the next steps in your career?

I will keep painting and painting until the end of my life, so that is the plan. Career-wise, I am really looking forward to seeing the end of this corona crisis because I have plans to have at least 2 more solo exhibitions in the following 3 years. I also have another project, which is quite experimental since it combines psychedelic music compositions with my abstract paintings. Will be interesting to see viewers' reactions and I am so looking forward to that one!

• What do you think is more important: the concept, the techniques?

This is a difficult one... But I would go with the concept. Technique is vital to compose as well as reflect what you exactly imagine and that is why digital tools are such a gift because otherwise you would need extremely diverse equipments to not hit the ceiling of your imagination. But even though you have all the possible techniques available, I believe the concept is absolutely indispensable.

• What is your opinion on censorship in art? Do you think there are any sensitive topics that an artist should not work around?

Anything you can possibly think of can be reflected! Who is deciding those topics? What are they? Who is defining what is ‘sensitive’? I already hear some oppositions here but for me; art is something super personal. You can have gazillions of interpretations on the same piece, especially for abstract work but you can never actually know what the artist reflectedthere. Sounds funny but most of the time even the artist has no idea. Creation process is driven with super intense feelings and you are absolutely in the zone! When you are out of it, sometimes you don’t understand what just happened there a few minutes ago because what you are reflecting is mostly unconscious.

Censorship is nonsense at this point.

• How do you deal with social media? How has social media affected promoting your art?

Honestly I am such an introverted person so if I didn’t have the social media tools, I could have never promoted my work this successfully. It opened my way so I could exhibit more, meet amazing artists and show them my work. It is kind of easier to casually ‘post’ your work on social platforms instead of finding a physical environment filled with artists/collectors unless there is a special event. Of course, I would prefer seeing viewers' reactions but I think social media is much more helpful than the ‘old’ ways to promote your art. I am kind of a person who doesn’t even show her paintings to the closest friends or talks to them about it. But it is much easier to post it so thousands of people can view itat once. We will start talking more about the effect of social media on art promotion in the following years and there are already many improvements and innovations in the field. I have to say the corona crisis has speeded this up enormously!

'SPLIT' | 50 cm x 60 cm Mixed media

'THE KING' | 40 cm x 45 cm Mixed media “Special thanks to Hakan Keskin”

'The Life Behind' | 40 cm x 50 cm Mixed media

'ÇAYCI KIZ' | 80 cm x 100 cm Mixed media “For my mom”

'BLACK' | 40 cm x 50 cm Mixed media

'JANE' | 60 cm x 70 cm Mixed media “Special thanks to Merve Kocaman”

'DIASPORA' | 50 cm x 55 cm Mixed media

'GLASS' | 50 cm x 75 cm Mixed media “Special thanks to Nine Kompier”

'Provacation' | 50 cm x 60 cm Mixed media

'Consciousness' | 50 cm x 75 cm Mixed media

'Madam Sklodowska' | 60 cm x 70 cm Mixed media “For the memory of Marie Curie”

'LADY BERLIN' | 40 cm x 60 cm Mixed media “Special thanks to Regina Piske”

'BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY' | 42cmx 50cm Mixed media “Special thanks to Dilansu Guneykaya”

'THE GIST' | 30 cm x 30 cm Mixed media “For our planet”

Under the see' | 55 cm x 70 cm Mixed media

'COLD' | 60 cm x 90 cm Mixed media “For my Rattie “

art number 23 London • Athens

Art Number 23 is a London based organisation with two physical Gallery spaces in London and in Athens and also a Virtual Gallery! We are organising art exhibitions in all our Galleries and we invite artists from all over the world to share their work with us and participate in our shows!

The aim is to create opportunities, in order to encourage and support artists to exhibit and promote their work.

The Double Slit Experiment on “faces”

exhibition catalogue