Oblique: Şahin Kaygun
GALERIST is pleased to present the late Şahin Kaygun’s (b. Adana 1951 - d.1992) first solo exhibition at the gallery titled ‘Oblique’ from September 8 to October 22, 2022. Curated by Yekhan Pınarlıgil, the exhibition focuses on and interprets Kaygun’s use of oblique and various forms through different periods and series while presenting the artist’s unique and dramatic visual language established through the influence of his education in graphic design.
The exhibition is shaped around the plastic structures which Kaygun created in his photographs, and includes works from various periods of his life, with the focus on oblique lines and their power. Oblique, or in definition a slanted line, is a frequently used graphic element in Kaygun’s photographs, which helped him conceive a stronger composition and a dramatic language. This occurs in many different forms; sometimes the photographed objects are positioned by an oblique line in montage, and in other works, the oblique may only appear on the sole body being captured by the objective, then suddenly appearing on the decor behind, and sometimes on the surface marked with paint. Within a glance, the viewer sees images of a spear piercing through, and with another, a hat or a folding fabric dividing a strongly blurred frame diagonally into two.
Şahin Kaygun’s photographs are constructed with a rather experimental and avant-garde approach. Kaygun is slightly mischievous and constantly curious, with a love for the medium he is working with, wanting to explore its limits; trying again and again in a quest to go further. All the materials are at his service in a darkroom filled with chemicals, while the frame remains flexible. Although for Kaygun, none of this is enough in his pursuit for constant experimentation. His interventions on his photographs have gone against all norms and conservative traditions of the local scene during the 1980s: Scratching the surface, painting over it, repeating forms and images within a variety of compositions.
The frame, on the other hand, is another subject of discussion. A photograph rarely discards the limitations of the lens to expand into the rectangular shape of the frame. Kaygun’s frames become unique through a process of reframing, more specifically with his use of graphic elements and lines. The distinct divisions in his compositions leave a wide negative space, and at times, the small graphic details become a definitive dramatic component of his works. Kaygun’s use of increased contrast brings in theatricality, pushing the limits further until he grasps the absolute black and white.
The oblique lines are included with the purpose of guiding the gaze and disappear with the illusion of depth in Kaygun’s repeated mise-en-scènes. Suddenly, an incredibly effective perspective begins to emerge while the gaze shifts to the background and the infinite image. The frame is firm, fixed and confined, while the oblique lines lead towards alternative ways of reaching the horizon. And each and every one bears the promise of a journey...
The exhibition is centered on the plastic structure of the works from different periods, the oblique lines within these structures, and the feelings they evoke.
