A State Of Acceptance
Kalliopi Lemos & Nancy Atakan
Curator: Billur Tansel
Preview: 23 November 2023, 7-9 PM (AZT)
Exhibition: 24 November 2023 – 10 February 2024
Gazelli Art House in Baku is delighted to announce the exhibition “A State Of Acceptance” by Kalliopi Lemos and Nancy Atakan. Kalliopi Lemos is a London based Greek sculptor, painter and installation artist and Nancy Atakan while born in the USA, has lived and worked in Turkey since 1969 as an artist, teacher, art historian and critic.
The exhibition, curated by Billur Tansel, will be on view between the dates of 24 November 2023 and 10 February 2024 at the Gazelli Art House in Baku.
Starting with a poem by the Persian poet Rumi entitled “The Guest House”, in this exhibition the artists share their acquired and inherited wisdom by referencing their lived experiences while also dealing with actualities. Cherishing memories, they also see the world is rapidly changing in an unnerving way. As contemporary artists they strive to remain relevant and aware.
In his poem, dating back to the 13th Century, Rumi says that every day we have an unexpected visitor – A joy, a depression, a meanness and brings with it an awareness. He says; be grateful for whatever comes because it has been sent for a reason/ as a guide from beyond. Acceptance encompasses undergoing hardships, rebellion and change through life and meeting adversities with courage, respect and warmth, taking a moment to listen, to breath, to re-evaluate. As one gets older the understanding that accepting things as they are softens worries and appeases concerns in our minds. A new space may open for new ideas and new ways. With a state of acceptance human suffering diminishes or ceases.
Human experiences deserve to be recognized. Initial attempts for this quest could be traced back to Ancient Eastern and Western philosophy. Starting with Aurelius and Epictetus, modern and contemporary western thinkers such as Kierkegaard have debated this topic.
Psychologists suggest an amelioration for the human condition and suffering; existential theorists such as Carl Rogers are credited with elaborating acceptance as a mechanism of self-actualization. In this exhibition, the notion and value of accepting themselves and others as they are has been given great importance.
Realizing memories to be valuable when facing the challenges in their chaotic present, they strive for a state of acceptance. By sharing recollections from their personal lives, what is dear and sacred to them, they want to pass on and offer an understanding they have gained throughout their lifetimes to benefit younger generations and to encourage dialogue and interaction with the followers: A very valuable gift.
The two artists are gifted story-tellers who combine words, images and different materials to create an otherworldly and yet bonding experience. Some artwork has a story to tell, a piece of family history that brings together different generations’ lives, loves, experiences in tales of wisdom, while others point out the thorns and stings plaguing present reality. These might appear as challenges at first, but if we receive them with wisdom, that might be our chance to reach a sense of truth and thus peace within.
One of the centerpieces of the exhibition, a film of a performance they have realized together entitled “Necklace of Time”, stresses the superficiality of the materialistic adornment that might be desired in youth and underlines that as one matures, inherited values, principles, ethics and memories gain more importance.
In their own words: “As women and artists, we wanted to give a voice to the unexplored experiences and feelings of women, shared with love, poetry and beauty to create a rich, multidimensional exhibition.” – Nancy Atakan and Kalliopi Lemos
The Show encompasses works made with a variety of materials and techniques: video, sculpture, needlework, installation, painting. Some of the works were made by the artists in collaboration and some separately but still in dialogue with each other. A compelling and inspiring journey through personal yet universal territory awaits the viewers.
About Kalliopi Lemos
Kalliopi Lemos is a Greek-born and London-based sculptor, painter, installation artist and film-maker. She studied painting and printing at Byam Shaw School of Art, where she also pursued post-graduate studies in painting. Over the past decades, her work has explored the narrative of existential journeys, displacement and forced migration. The artist has a persistent interest in the ramifications of today’s neo-capitalist and political powers, focusing on human rights, the issue of increasing global migration and female oppression within patriarchal societies. Lemos creates site-specific public installations to challenge the viewer, while maintaining a critical dialogue with the history of the area. She has exhibited extensively in various Greek and international cultural venues. Some of her most acclaimed projects include the exhibition trilogy Crossings in Eleusis (2006), Istanbul (2007) and Berlin, in front of the Brandenburg Gate (2009); the three-part exhibition Navigating in the Dark (2011) in Athens, Crete and London, Pledges for a Safe Passage (2012) that was part of the 3rd International Biennial of Canakkale and is now on permanent view there, I Am I Between Worlds and Between Shadows (2013 – 2015) that was presented in Istanbul as a parallel event of the 13th Istanbul Biennial and her series Tools of Endearment (2016 – 2023) that have been installed on prominent public displays in London and France. Her film At the Centre of the World (2015) won the Borusan Contemporary Art Collection Prize. The Plait (2020) by Kalliopi Lemos has been selected and acquired by the Droom en Daad Foundation to be part of the International Sculptural Collection of the city of Rotterdam and is permanently installed in Westersingel terrace. Her work Wooden Boat with Seven People (2011) was on view at Spitalfields Market in London until 2021, the Corset (2017) was part of the Art in Mayfair 2023 and was installed at New Bond Street in London, and her Bag of Aspirations (2019) is currently on view at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Her works Wooden Boat with Seven Snakes (2011) and Grainboat (2004) are on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete as part of the museum’s permanent collection. Kalliopi Lemos’s work can be found in public and private collections all over the world.
About Nancy Atakan
The American born Istanbul based Nancy Atakan has been an active figure in the Istanbul arts scene since the 1970s not only as an artist but also a teacher and art historian. In 1995 she completed her Phd. at Istanbul Mimar Sinan University and has published two Turkish books about Conceptual Art. Atakan’s practice spans a multimedia approach encompassing installation, video, photography, digital printing, neon, performance, text and needlework. In her work, the artist incorporates references to femininity, identity, gender politics, memory, globalization and relationship between image and word. All of her work involves research, collaboration and dialogue as it includes with touches of lightness and humor, observations of current events and also references to the history and culture of Turkey. Her work can be found in numerous private collections and has been shown at such Turkish museums and events as: The Textile Biennial, İzmir; Canakkale Biennial, Canakkale; Arkas Museum, Izmir; SALT Beyoğlu, Istanbul; Elgiz Museum, Istanbul; OMM (Odunpazar Modern Museum) Eskişehir; Istanbul Modern Museum, Istanbul; Cermodern, Ankara. Furthermore, some of her exhibitions abroad occurred in: Akademie der Kunst, Berlin, Germany; Riksidrottsmuseet, Stockholm,Sweden; ISCP – International Studio & Curatorial Program, New York, USA; Nordic Art Association, NFK, Stockholm, Sweden; Vasteras Art Museum, Vasteras, Sweden. In 2007 she co-founded the artist initiative 5533. Pi Artworks Istanbul/London represents her work.
About Billur Tansel
Billur Tansel is an instructor, independent curator and writer that specialises in Contemporary Art. After finishing the French High School Pierre Loti in Istanbul, she graduated from the University of Mary Washington in Virginia, USA with two majors: economics and philosophy. She then received a joint MBA degree from the Sorbonne and the Dauphine Universities. In 2006, Tansel started her career as an academician in the Department of Visual Communication Design in the Faculty of Communication at Yeditepe University. This is where she also completed her second master’s degree in visual communication design with the thesis entitled “Study And Analysis of the Traditional Aesthetics in Art As Opposed to the New Aesthetics in Digital Art.” She has taught Philosophy of Art in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Yeditepe University until the beginning of 2016. Since 2008, besides being an academician, Tansel has been actively involved in the art scene as the director of reputable art galleries in Ìstanbul. She has curated several exhibitions and her articles have been published in art magazines and books internationally. Between 2011 and 2014, Tansel has worked as the Director and Curator of Proje4L/ Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art and the Director of Doğançay Museum in Ìstanbul between 2019 and 2020. She is the Founding Director of Open Dialogue Istanbul. She is the founder and Director of the “Curating Contemporary Art” Program realized in cooperation with Akbank Sanat. The latter is a 10 month program with a finishing project and four programs have been completed so far with 60 graduates that have started working as professionals in various culture and arts foundations internationally.
About the Gallery
Founded in 2010 by Mila Askarova, Gazelli Art House in London brings a fresh perspective to Mayfair – through championing artists from all corners of the globe. Focusing on artists at the height of their practice, the gallery showcases their work through a diverse programme of exhibitions and events.
Along with its sister site in Baku, Gazelli Art House specialises in promoting art from Azerbaijan and its neighbours to introduce a greater understanding of the rich linguistic, religious and historical ties that connect these areas to international audiences. In 2015, the gallery further expanded to support artists working in digital art through its online platform: GAZELL.iO, comprising an online Residency programme, NFT drops and collaborations, a dedicated Project Space holding monthly exhibitions, and a permanently installed VR Library – all in the heart of Mayfair.
For further information, please contact: press@gazelliarthouse.com | +44 (0) 207 491 8816