Ayçesu Duran

Ayçesu Duran is a Turkish artist living and practising between Istanbul and London. She primarily works with sculptural assemblages that stem from a curiosity in the overlaps of culture and nature, particularly the utilisation of environmental resources. Centering around the incredibly complex yet ordinary case of being human, Duran’s practice investigates systems, structures and matter constructed for everyday living. Her work unites man-made and earth-derived products, notably of Mediterranean descent or characteristic to her ancient and contemporary surroundings. These pairings are delicately bonded, without the use of excessive force and outside of linear time, often through temporary joints with elastic or jewel-like fasteners. In this way, recognizable forms and functions are preserved while gaining new significance to challenge preconditioned values. The intertwined networks of crafted and gathered objects tinker with the sense of familiarity, by allowing slippages between concepts of purpose and futility. Ultimately, facilitating a poetic estrangement from habits and common knowledge with a subtle nod to Absurdism and Existential philosophy. The accumulation of Duran’s works feeds into an ever-growing lexicon of dualities, depicting a surprisingly coherent alternate reality, a parallel dimension, a dreamscape…

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