Pg Basement is proud to present Leman Akpınar’s first solo exhibition titled “Psychic Desert” from November 7th to December 7th, 2019.
There is a state of being where starvation begins for creative life.
A place where you don't stop and listen to life.
This place lacks love and light.
You have forgotten who you are and you have lost touch with your nature.
The call to return back home echoes in your ears.
A wise woman's voice summons you back on your way and back to your factory settings.
An old woman’s voice summons you back on your way and to your factory settings.
In the Psychic Desert series, Leman Akpınar describes potential individualization processes and potential character possibilities that may arise as a result of interaction with events in life from a woman's perspective. The artist, who refuses to shape her life according to the truths, rules and not tried and tested beliefs created by the consciousness of society, invites the audience to review their own life and take a journey towards their own nature. As one is swims along the shores of their purpose in life, Psychic Desert tells the story of an individual creating their own reality through metaphors and symbols. After her time in the Mojave Desert, Akpınar depicts the Psychic Desert based on the projections of the desert in her own mind, and wants to convey here the Mojave Desert’s projection within herself.
Underlining the power of self-recreation in a fairy-tale language, Leman leaves the connotations of the beings in the paintings open to the viewer.
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Leman Akpınar (1991) in her works examines the complex nature that comes with being human and the reflections of society on individuals. The artist, who mainly uses oil paint, considers the practice of the workshop as a transformation laboratory. As a result, she integrates different materials into her practice (such as paint tubes). She left Mimar Sinan Painting Department (2013) and moved to New York City, USA. In 2016, she graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a degree in Fine Arts. During the time she studied, she worked in various odd jobs and as an assistant to many artists. After graduating, she extended her stay in New York with a 1-year Work Visa until returning to Turkey in 2017. During this one year, she participated in mixed exhibitions and open workshop organizations in NY. Returning to Istanbul in 2017, the artist currently teaches Yoga and basic art and continues to work in her studio in Reşitpaşa.
