One of the accomplished contemporary artists of the young generation, Barış Cihanoğlu will be holding his new show in Gallery Ilayda between the dates October 23rd – November 30th. Renowned for his figurative works on canvas from his previous exhibitions, the artist will present for the first time his absorbing works created on something other than canvas in his new show “Ash”. The new works are based on the result of a long process: Cihanoğlu burns and carbonizes wood, turning it into his working surface – the fumed black color and the textures that result on the burnt wood surface are then used as a foundation for his paintings. While the black areas in the paintings are the results of such carbonization, other areas are painted with oil colors. The products of a six stage process, these unusual works were created in the course of a year.
Nietzsche stated that “you must be ready to burn yourself in your own flame; how could you rise anew if you have not first become ashes?” as he thought we have to burn ourselves in a philosophical sense in order to be able to renew ourselves. In a similar way, with the paintings he creates by working on the black burnt surface that's turned to ash, the artist too references a process of coming into being again.
With this series, Cihanoğlu proceeds with the shifts and stretches he's been applying to his paintings over the last few years. The fact that it's only the heads of the figures that are pulled and stretched, points out the incapability of a person to stay the same as time passes, and the mental transformation that takes place. The art writer Özcan Türkmen makes the following statement concerning the artist and his works: “In his most recent works, Barış Cihanoğlu opens the doors of a universe that obeys different laws. When artistic consciousness meets a piece of effort, it will be thrilled by this universe and ask itself questions about its laws and the real truth behind it.” Exploring universal themes through his own style, Cihanoğlu continues to surprise viewers with his prolificacy, creativity and by constantly innovating in his artistic practice.
