Yakamoz: The reflectance of the moon in the water
Since mid of July 2021 the art gallery Geyso20 shows the exhibition Yakamoz in Braunschweig. There is also an additional programme. I visit the public guided tour on 15.8.2021 in order to learn more about the two artists, Murak Akat and Lena Schmidt-Tupou.
From a rational point of view
I am far away from being an adept. Therefore I enter the show with no expectations. I did not inform myself over the internet nor did I google the artists. My interest derives from the fact that one of the artists has Turkish roots. Being a Near East-Aficionado my curiosity is waken. I want to find out whether I can find some Near Eastern influences in the pictures.
Entering the galery I let the impressions sink in at first. I admit that the crayoning pictures remind me of grammar school kids. I am trying to find a motive or a topic in the drawings and paintings. Sure, I view the artworks from a rational point of view. When the guided tour starts I learn that the Turkish title of the show, Yakamoz, can be translated: it’s the reflectance of the moon on the water. Oh well, that brings me back into play. I love the poetry of the Turkish and Arabic language.
The exhibition displays a selection from 250 paintings all together which were produced during January 2020 until April 2021. Because of Corona a range of pictures had to be painted digitally. The idea of the show is the collaboration of the artists who worked in a tandem. Every room represents a day, the guide tells us.
From the heart
There is a range of paintings made of acrylic which I like best. The colours are great, they are shiny and warm. I think that I can see two letters from the Arabic alphabet in it. A warm feeling streams through my body. At the same time the longing for the region and its culture grows in me. In retrospect I think that the best way to look at art is to do it with the heart.
It is exactly this insight that makes me nozzle as the young lady tells us that it is not en vogue any longer at the art schools to draw uncommited without giving a second thought. Everything is supposed to have a political message. That sounds stressful to me and foils the idea of creativity and the possibility to put one’s feelings onto the canvas. But maybe this is going to change in the future. It would be desirable.
