Item List

Mixed Media Series

Beautiful minds aims to open a window into the qualities and capabilities of the neurodiverse mind by creating one original artwork as the starting point and a diverse array of its interpretations which consider the specific effects of neurodiversity on perception. Approximately %30 of adults are considered neurodiverse, and it is a big part of who I am. With this work I hope to shift society’s negative view toward neurodiversity.
The works come to life in an interdisciplinary format using various media and styles to emulate the indefinite different perceptions of neurodiverse minds.
My use of different styles, materials, colors and textures activates the viewers senses to give a taste of what neurodiversity feels like.

SENSORY BARF
Various colors of yarn and basket
Sensory Integration, a basket full of tangled of yarn that looks very soft and some may want to touch it, others may have the urge to detangle it.

MINDCHATTER
Ceramic and steel
To show ceaseless mental activity in ADHD and ASD I made a 3D sculpture in the round of a fish trapped in kelp which bear resemblance to a section of the original painting. I used ceramics for the fish and steel flashing for the kelp, which due to its silver color creates a close resemblance to the original.

BRIGHT LIGHTS
Legos and light
A work exploring light sensitivity in the neurodiverse population. For this piece I made a reflective 3D structure that when hit with light creates a bright shimmering representation of the original artwork.

RAIN OF COLORS
Acrylic on wood blocks
Only the colors of the original painted on wood blocks to show that some people only notice the colors when looking at something.

Mixed Media, Resin, Plaster, Silicone, Wool Fiber, Paint, Flour

Come Together talks about diversity. The hands kneading the flour into dough are molds of my own hands made to look like they are several different materials we use in sculpture, from glass to plastic, and plaster to bronze. The dough represents the ideal nature of diversity where we no longer see differences and can come together as one..

Found Object, Paint, Light

‘Double Double’ is a kinetic sculpture with light and sound made out of everyday objects. I made it with a chandelier and multiple stainless-steel ladles in different sizes. The concept comes from a witch’s brew where things come together magically, and to create this illusion of things flying in midair I suspended everything with clear fishing line. The crystal pieces create a chiming melody when the sculpture moves around by air movement or touch. In the center is a light that changes colors and reflects onto the shiny objects above. I had to untangle and rehang everything due to an accidental collapse hence I named the piece Double Double (toil and trouble) from the famous witches chant in Macbeth.

Cast Concrete Cement, Sand, Acrylics

This monument about forgotten childhood memories was made in collaboration with artist Mason Deane. Our concept is about things that we treasured in our childhoods, that we lose or forget due to the passing of time and the changes brought about by growing up. We used the image of a dead tree with a broken swing to symbolize the concept and the addition of a sorrowful face to the tree really brings the concept to life and adds a dimension of the thing we leave behind grieving for the relationship that was lost. There is a lot of detail on the sculpture that was successfully transferred from mold to concrete with added dimension through the paint which brings the sculpture to life. I really enjoyed collaborating and the fruits of successful teamwork are highly rewarding and satisfying.

Salvaged ghost nets, plastic bottles, paint

Made from 'Ghost nets' which are fishing nets salvaged off the Hawaii coastline, plastic bottles, and spray paint, the body mantle 'Pretty Deadly' is a wearable sculpture and performance artwork. It is made from two different objects used repetitively hundreds of times. I wanted to create awareness for the plastics that are left in the oceans harming sea life and subsequently our whole planet. These plastics are made up of discarded or lost fishing nets and single use plastics, such as bottles, bags and straws and I wanted to create awareness by making the mantle 'heard' in the fashion of Nick Cave’s ‘soundsuits’ using these materials. As a Turkish native and former scuba instructor, I have long been an ocean advocate and so for this project and future sustainable sculpture projects, I sourced actual ghost nets collected in the Pacific Ocean by conservationists. I had to patiently detangle each line and weave them into a mantle using the double knot technique. Afterwards, I tied the painted plastic bottles and bottle cutouts all around and throughout the piece so that they looked like an ocean garbage patch and made a lot of sound. I really enjoyed working on something that is near to my heart and making time for it. Enacting what I envisioned was happening to the sea creatures made the project even more powerful and daunting.

Cognitive rigidity, the inability to mentally adapt to new demands or information or change, consider different perspectives and opinions.

Bristol Board Paper, Glue

My first sculpture, this elaborate cone is a kinetic sculpture made from cut paper. The design incorporates elements of the platonic solids. My sculpture is 18”x15”x15” and is constructed with a cut out plane formed into a spiral cone, suspended by fishing line. It is balanced and symmetric in shape. The spiraling design of the sculpture conveys an inward movement and continuity. The gestalt seems to be a whole cone although it is not a closed solid shape. The sculpture slowly turns on axis and gives the impression of the slow passing of time. Being my first 3D artwork I fell in love with how multifaceted, moldable and yet strong designing with paper turned out to be and was excited for all the possibilities working in sculpture could bring to my artistic career.

Welded Steel

Stranded is an abstraction of a coding strand. One half of the double helix that codes our entire genome. I made it by cutting and welding 1/4" square steel rods. The single strand stripped away from its other half is alluding to the feelings of loneliness and separation we have all experienced due to the pandemic.

Plaster, Paint

‘Treasured Moments’ is plaster casting into my mold which I created by joining 7 different household containers. These were materials were chocolate, coffee, and boardgame packages. All items that give us pleasure and joy while in the company of the people we treasure. In my design, I wanted to achieve the contrast of a geometric hard shape against an organic soft form. The design stands upright with a wide base balanced with the dynamic diagonal movement and height of the projecting rhomboid prism. The multiple faces all have a different texture, each creating a different visual and tactile esthetic. I wanted to create an overall soft and pale color for the plaster resembling sand and add an impression of fossilization and marbleization in multiple festive colors representing joyous moments. These patterns are embedded throughout the surface with the element of surprise due to being dripped into the dark mold before pouring in the plaster

Abstraction of a mitten made out of laser cut layers of bass wood.