Ipek Kotan – Inside Out

About

Do I prefer pistachios, Turkish delight or chocolate? Ipek Kotan knows how to seduce the art lover. The crunchiness of pistachios, the sweetness of Turkish delight and the refined taste of Swiss chocolate make up a palette that appeals to both the foodie and the average consumer. Is it a matter of taste, habit, knowledge or experience that we value one more than the other? And do we value the work ethic from which Kotan’s objects flow?

Ipek Kotan’s work consists of vessels: simple forms made from simple materials using a technique that is not particularly high-tech. Nonetheless the works possess precisely the qualities that are important right now. Rounded forms invite our touch and Kotan presents hard surfaces that do not develop a lustre when rubbed but instead become soft. The exterior and interior of her objects offer contrasting tactile experiences. The outsides are as soft as lambswool, the insides as hard as glass with a glaze that dazzles and seduces the eye. Her objects are simultaneously so soft and so hard that they seem to reflect our current age.

Geer Pouls has chosen Berlin as the city to present his vision: the best of nature combined with the highest form of visual culture. In 2015 Berlin has become a beacon for civilisation: the city that offers a welcoming hand to people fleeing bombs, brutality and poverty.

The artistic borders that Ipek Kotan seeks out are clear. Upon closer inspection it becomes clear that Kotan’s objects don’t intend to seduce but are simply seductive. Made by hand in a post-industrial and digital age, they provide faith in the possibility of social progress. Those who seek a new home in Berlin in 2015 are fortunate. Those who offer Kotan’s objects a new home are contributing to a better world.

(Text: Ranti Tjan, EKWC, Oisterwijk. Translation: Gerard Forde, Berlin)