Girgin Songül

Girgin Songül, Turkish artist, designs and creates sculptures that combine pure geometry with optical art and examine the relationship between shapes, nature and sounds. Nature is the research field and the first source of inspiration for the artist; observing biological species such as seeds, plants, marine creatures, cells and bacteria, Girgin "translates" their essence into perfect geometric shapes, through a process of abstraction. The geometric shapes are complemented by a multitude of thin lines, geometric entities that give movement and dynamism to the sculptures; the alternation of empty and full spaces, as well as creating surprising optical effects, allows the artworks to relate to the surrounding landscape, a complementary element, and to produce sounds. Each element, shape, material used, colours, arrangement of solids and voids in the space is decisive, affects the final result, visual and acoustic, and, for this reason, chosen with care. The artist has conducted research on the different intensities of the sounds produced by the various types of metal, the predominant material in his artistic production; the sound is also intensified and propagated by the pedestal, designed by Girgin with a dual function: to support the sculpture and act as an amplification box. "Autumn", made in 2019 in stainless steel, represents six leaves that detach from the branch and, dancing in the wind, fall to the ground nourishing and fertilizing it. Metaphorically the autumn leaves symbolize death, conceived not as a disappearance but as a necessary and natural change; the cycle of nature repeats itself, suggesting that what we think is the end is nothing more than a new beginning. The artist, therefore, observing the silent life of trees and inspired by the ancient tales of the shamanic tradition, draws profound and comforting lessons on the meaning of human existence.