Line provides a structure to the intuitive process of painting, while the urge to capture moments in time has opened up a new world of characters in my latest body of work.
About the Artist
For his first Platform exhibition, Erkut Terliksiz contemplates notions of human fragility, the passage of time and the importance of seizing the moment.
The Istanbul-based artist’s brightly coloured canvases are inspired stylistically by classic cartoons and artists such as Pablo Picasso, Philip Guston and George Condo. To encourage dialogue on the human condition, he creates peculiar amalgamations of physical anatomy and human psychology. The seemingly gloomy subject matter is enlivened by a playful painterly approach.
Overview
Drawing on the Cubist deconstruction of form pioneered by Picasso, the artist distorts his subjects according to his unique visual vocabulary – protruding noses and ears accompany grinning mouths and frenzied eyes.
Terliksiz’s subjects are rendered as geometric forms, with rounded contours outlined by sharp colour contrasts to produce dynamic compositions. With eyes bulging wide, the protagonists’ wavering emotional states are emphasised by the coarsely applied brushstrokes.
Each figure is bestowed with a mouth agape in wonder, imbuing the paintings with a charismatic and playful quality. In this fantastical world, each of these naive characters appears full of hope – carefully inspecting their surroundings or else striding confidently towards new beginnings, unaware of the underlying difficulties that may lie ahead.
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The figures’ disproportionate anatomy creates an interplay between near and far in the composition, flattening out the perspective.
The subjects’ unconventional scale means that no particular element or line is emphasised or prioritised, allowing viewers to choose where to focus their attention. Terliksiz’s process, based on intuition and chance, reflects the artist’s sensitivity to the world around him.
Erkut Terliksiz
Hopeless Romancer I
2022
120 cm x 100 cm
Erkut Terliksiz
Hopeless Romancer IV
2022
59 cm x 40 cm
Erkut Terliksiz
Hopeless Romancer II
2022
120 cm x 100 cm
Erkut Terliksiz
Hopeless Romancer III
2022
75 cm x 59 cm
Erkut Terliksiz
Hopeless Romancer V
2022
59 cm x 40 cm
Erkut Terliksiz
Hopeless Romancer VI
2022
45 cm x 85 cm
I always enjoy the small, unintentional elements of painting. Allowing those accidents leads to subplots in the works.
About the Artist
Erkut Terliksiz (b. 1978) is an artist based in Istanbul. He graduated from the Department of Graphic Design, Fine Arts Faculty at the Mimar Sinan University in 2002.
Since then, the artist has exhibited internationally with selected solo shows including Painters Alive at Rademakers Gallery, Amsterdam (2018); DingDongDaddy at PlanX, Milan (2021); Double solo at Galerie C.O.A, Móntreal (2022); and Languishing at Dida, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire (2022). In 2022, his work was shown in the group exhibition Needles in the hay at The Curators Room, Amsterdam. Terliksiz’s work has been featured in numerous publications, such as Juxtapoz and Booooooom.
Chosen Charity
Chosen Charity
TEMA, Turkey
Founded in 1992, TEMA (Turkish Foundation for Combating Erosion, Afforestation and Conservation of Natural Assets) aims to draw attention to the danger of erosion and desertification threatening Turkey’s lands. The organisation works for the protection of all natural assets including the ecosystem, and human-induced climate change.