05.11.2022 - 04.02.2023
Opening: Friday, 4th November, 7 PM
The artist will be present
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Rhythms exist everywhere in and around us. Like beats of life they give us structure and we listen up when they are interrupted or when they stop. Çiğdem Aky explores rhythmic color arrangements through her medium, painting. For her first solo show with Bernhard Knaus Fine Art, the artist presents works from a new series, that manage to open up our gaze beyond a separation of inside and outside, beyond the separation of order and chaos.
In the center of each of Çiğdem Aky's paintings is a rectangle, either monochrome or multicolored, on a black or white ground, making them initially reminiscent of the clear geometric structure of works classified as Concrete Art. Light, gestural brushstrokes in dreamy colors flow around the solid shape. Aky has found the perfect form for herself with these two basic elements. Through the repetition of this form, the artist has come up with her own pictorial formula making each of her works immediately recognizable as hers. This formula does not, however, restrict Aky in her creative process. On the contrary, it gives her the necessary freedom to devote herself fully to the effect of different color compositions.
Çiğdem Aky works with acrylic and oil paint, wet on wet. This technique corresponds to her intuitive, spontaneous way of painting and also enables virtuosic soft color transitions. Color is to Aky's painting what tones are to music. "I apply color and react to it," the artist explains her approach. "I'm interested in how colors interact and react with each other. I'm fascinated by how the hue of a color changes when I combine it with another color or paint over it." The final color combinations create very different atmospheres: sometimes soothingly melancholic as in 'Abenddämmerung', sometimes cheerfully playful as in 'Vollgas'. The effect of Çiğdem Aky's works is closely linked to the artist's feelings during the painting process. Music, in turn, plays an important role in this, as the artist likes to listen to songs with strong narratives in her Munich studio. Similar to the moods that music triggers in her, Aky sees abstract painting as a way of emotional communication that works independently of language barriers. One might call this process communication through imagination. It is underlined in her works by poetic titles such as 'Rosenwasser‘ or 'Mauerblümchen'.
Çiğdem Aky's paintings offer insights into the artist's personal emotional world and, in the same moment, invite viewers to reflect on their own feelings. Aky's form of art is based on empathy - an approach that, along with her technical precision, makes her an exceptional talent in the current art world. You don't just see Çiğdem Aky's paintings, you perceive their tones with all your senses and notice that your own perception is part of a larger whole. The melodies might change from painting to painting, but the rhythm remains constant and one can always find oneself in it.
Çiğdem Aky (*1989 in Munich) lives and works in Munich. She studied painting and graphic arts with Jerry Zeniuk and Myriam Holme at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and in Karlsruhe at the State Academy of Fine Arts. In 2017, she completed her studies as a master student with Helmut Dorner. Aky’s works have been exhibited in solo exhibitions in Munich, Karlsruhe and most recently at Kunstmuseum Reutlingen, in addition to numerous group shows in Germany and abroad. Since 2013, she has been the recipient of numerous scholarships. In 2021, Çiğdem Aky was awarded the HAP Grieshaber Scholarship.
The artist will be present
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Rhythms exist everywhere in and around us. Like beats of life they give us structure and we listen up when they are interrupted or when they stop. Çiğdem Aky explores rhythmic color arrangements through her medium, painting. For her first solo show with Bernhard Knaus Fine Art, the artist presents works from a new series, that manage to open up our gaze beyond a separation of inside and outside, beyond the separation of order and chaos.
In the center of each of Çiğdem Aky's paintings is a rectangle, either monochrome or multicolored, on a black or white ground, making them initially reminiscent of the clear geometric structure of works classified as Concrete Art. Light, gestural brushstrokes in dreamy colors flow around the solid shape. Aky has found the perfect form for herself with these two basic elements. Through the repetition of this form, the artist has come up with her own pictorial formula making each of her works immediately recognizable as hers. This formula does not, however, restrict Aky in her creative process. On the contrary, it gives her the necessary freedom to devote herself fully to the effect of different color compositions.
Çiğdem Aky works with acrylic and oil paint, wet on wet. This technique corresponds to her intuitive, spontaneous way of painting and also enables virtuosic soft color transitions. Color is to Aky's painting what tones are to music. "I apply color and react to it," the artist explains her approach. "I'm interested in how colors interact and react with each other. I'm fascinated by how the hue of a color changes when I combine it with another color or paint over it." The final color combinations create very different atmospheres: sometimes soothingly melancholic as in 'Abenddämmerung', sometimes cheerfully playful as in 'Vollgas'. The effect of Çiğdem Aky's works is closely linked to the artist's feelings during the painting process. Music, in turn, plays an important role in this, as the artist likes to listen to songs with strong narratives in her Munich studio. Similar to the moods that music triggers in her, Aky sees abstract painting as a way of emotional communication that works independently of language barriers. One might call this process communication through imagination. It is underlined in her works by poetic titles such as 'Rosenwasser‘ or 'Mauerblümchen'.
Çiğdem Aky's paintings offer insights into the artist's personal emotional world and, in the same moment, invite viewers to reflect on their own feelings. Aky's form of art is based on empathy - an approach that, along with her technical precision, makes her an exceptional talent in the current art world. You don't just see Çiğdem Aky's paintings, you perceive their tones with all your senses and notice that your own perception is part of a larger whole. The melodies might change from painting to painting, but the rhythm remains constant and one can always find oneself in it.
Çiğdem Aky (*1989 in Munich) lives and works in Munich. She studied painting and graphic arts with Jerry Zeniuk and Myriam Holme at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and in Karlsruhe at the State Academy of Fine Arts. In 2017, she completed her studies as a master student with Helmut Dorner. Aky’s works have been exhibited in solo exhibitions in Munich, Karlsruhe and most recently at Kunstmuseum Reutlingen, in addition to numerous group shows in Germany and abroad. Since 2013, she has been the recipient of numerous scholarships. In 2021, Çiğdem Aky was awarded the HAP Grieshaber Scholarship.
Exhibited works
