MIRROR AND MASK 1

Doğu Özgün has previously explored his own position in time and space, as well as the forms of existence, through his artworks exhibited in the Palimpsest Memory exhibition. In his other exhibition, "Night Rehearsal," he proposed looking at the world and current concepts through the eyes of other beings, while also tracing his personal story. Today, the artist presents an examination of two existential propositions, exploring our tendency towards the hierarchical structure within the system and evaluating it through the lens of those in power and those who obey. With his exhibition "Fake Mustache," he delves into the impulse of human obedience to authority or the dilemma of becoming the authority while resisting it, compelling us to break free from definitions and contemplate the gray areas. He addresses the psychological and individual aspects of a system that presents only two options, like being a hunter or a prey, and explores the behavioral aspects that are reflected in the broader society. In doing so, the artist draws inspiration from his own life, films, and current events.

The exhibition focuses on personal stories, the conservative structure of the family that resists change around social norms, and the responses of the human mind to this resistance. The order influenced by these mechanisms also observes the formation of a society that is detached from individuals' true identities, focused on conforming to the perception of "success," constantly self-questioning, criticizing, getting angry, and punishing. Through the exhibition, the artist expresses the fear associated with the concept of change and the tendency to adhere to established teachings, urging us to consider the internal and external reflections that may occur when stepping out of the comfort zone and changing. Can one survive by casting themselves outside the system and transforming?

Let's consider the concept of the comfort zone through the perspective of a child waiting to be born or emerge from its shell. The young one, constantly protected by its mother, provided with all the necessary conditions for comfortable growth, raises without being aware of the poison within. Unfortunately, the world is not as comfortable as it seems. The artwork titled "Lullabies" indicates the destruction created by the concept of family and motherhood that prepares us for life and provides us with all the possibilities. It shows that creatures produced by the fear of breaking free from the shell, growing with the fear of venturing out, will either become prey within the cycle or fight back "bravely," but they will continue to seek the same comfort throughout their lives. In the "Lullabies" series, Özgün includes two versions, a video and a canvas painting. The comforting, peaceful atmosphere of the background seen in the painting is not present in the video version, which focuses on the creature pouring its attention on the eggs, nurturing the growing poison.

Özgün's inclination to describe an emotion through space and depict it with certain objects - associated with his own symbolic codes - stands out in the artwork "Çıkış" (Exit). In this piece, we witness a dream-like image emerging from within a room. We observe a pair of hands gliding over a piano from behind a curtain. The visual is so dominant that it engulfs us, making it difficult to see the door in the corner of the room. However, there is an exit there. It is an Exit that doesn't necessarily suggest leaving the environment but beckons those who still wish to see it.

The exit that opens up to uncertainty and perhaps danger involuntarily heightens feelings of self-confidence. On the other hand, it is undeniable that every risky move brings about a test. This test begins as an internal struggle, much like the audacity to find an exit. The artist reveals the unseen side of the canvas in the artwork "Osmophobia." He stitches the tears in the canvas, renews the frame, and exposes every hidden detail that was kept from the viewer. It is possible to interpret this courageous act as preparation for a journey to find oneself. The easiest way to overcome fears is to confront them. And what could be a better way for Özgün than to lay his painting on the operating table, so to speak, and face his fears? The piece “Anger” seems to be the front side of Osmophobia, where the artist paints over the original image on the canvas with torn edges, revealing a child from within the painting. At this point, we can observe Özgün's impulse to dig deeper and deeper, to uncover, correct, and restore the truth. This perspective makes it easier to understand his figures transitioning from one canvas to another, the evolving stories, and the fluctuating and accumulating emotions. Just like the reappearance of the child in the "Revenge" artwork, where imaginary jackets are placed on his shoulders. Behind the child, a series of male figures symbolizing authority line up. The loose fit of the jacket represents the refusal to accept the dictatorial inheritance and attributed labels. The child is running away, forcefully trying to put on the jacket on his shoulders. The unexpressed anger turns into revenge.

The evolving feelings of anger and revenge in a person are first projected onto the suppressing society and then become a psychological burden carried by the individual. Özgün addresses this theme directly in his artwork "Cezalı" (Grounded), where he adopts an indirect narrative. Instead of delving deep, he leaves us face to face with the act of someone punishing themselves by hitting at themselves.

Amidst all the mood swings, the attempts to define oneself within society, to reveal one's character, the will to be accepted within a community and live according to its norms, and the need to feel a sense of belonging, all actually point to the search for a new comfort zone.

In the artwork "Aidiyetsiz" (Rootles), we discover a plant firmly rooted inside a car through an interesting composition. The impossibility of a plant voluntarily changing its location is shattered in this painting. The plant takes root in the steering wheel of a mobile object like a car, disrupting conventions and bringing contradictions onto the canvas. In the monochromatic painting, the colorful traffic lights in the background stand out as a detail. However, which traffic rule can stop this rebellious subject?

Philosopher and cultural critic Byung-Chul Han, who introduced the concept of the "hell of the identical," suggests that in today's world where everyone tries to resemble each other, the only way to escape this hell is to establish a connection with what is “other” The tendency to homogenize everyone and find the other as wrong, tasteless, and unpleasant not only creates problems related to belonging but also similarly affects people's self-confidence, standards of success, and society's mechanisms of value. The artwork "Leaning Leaning" by Doğu Özgün takes inspiration from the film "The Night of The Hunter" and transforms certain objects, giving them new meanings they don't possess in reality. In the painting, where a language turns into a trap and knives mimic flames while dancing, the emphasis is on the fact that danger is not a sharp knife or a swift trap but rather the entities that pretend to be dangerous. The artist incorporates an ironic quote from the film into the artwork, "To lean on these trusting arms is better and safer than all the warnings."

Han suggests a transition from a rule and command-oriented hierarchy to a success-oriented hierarchy. It is pointed out that the word “can" implies the expectation of "must," and motivation and efficiency for exploitation are considered more effective than commands. Although talent, intelligence, and luck play leveraged roles in achieving success, adhering to the same "sameness" is expected within the system's functioning. "Değersizler" (The Worthless Ones) series unveils individuals' struggle to find meaning within the hierarchical order dictated by belief systems, age, status, and other norms and definitions. In the series consisting of four different portraits, each person is depicted in connection with an object. The duality of object and portrait, related to the value paradigms of capitalist order, reflects individuals' expectations of creating their own opportunities, hope that luck may knock on the door at any moment, or a constant desire to be discovered and chosen.

Within this structure where we need to constantly turn the mirror towards ourselves, “Appeasement" presents a dark visual of a character confronting their fears. The canvas, composed of different layers, portrays childhood through scribbles drawn on notes left by an adult who used to follow the piano's melodies. The scribbles include a bee and a child's drawing behind the bars. In the third and final layer of the painting, fragments that resemble nightmares and fears pierce through the musical notepad, making them more real and dimensional than all the narratives in the painting. In other words, we realize that the character's fears, which dominate their life, have been engraved in the notes of a composition since childhood.

The fear that permeates every sphere not only threatens individuals but also societies. Cities are the areas where capitalism, ruthless competition, and hierarchical order have the highest influence. In the artwork titled "Cornucopia," the artist portrays the city as a body that bears a burden heavier than it can handle. The mythological figure Haliç, who was the wet nurse of Zeus and gave her name to the Golden Horn, carries the entire city within her body in the Cornucopia painting, emphasizing the exploited land as a body. The city-body relationship is also prominent in the artwork “Check Please." These two works bring together the themes and concepts of space, body, exploitation, and speciesism that I mentioned at the beginning of the text within a framework. When examined more closely, it becomes apparent that some characters and images support this exploitation. The fly, which we frequently encounter in Özgün's paintings, draws more attention in the artwork “Check Please." The image of a fly, often used in classical still lifes, implies the end of vitality and colorfulness. Among the skyscrapers that call for the complete consumption of the city and the newly created hierarchy within the so-called right to acquire property offered by the authority, flies signify a disastrous end.

Is this persistent destruction and the pursuit of superiority truly inherent to human nature? As a species that is already invasive, do we also have an innate impulse to constantly seek and acquire more success, money, status, fame, and power? In his artwork that gives the exhibition its name, the artist confronts us with a mustache painting within a name tag. The Mustache relates to the childhood of the dictating and oppressive masculine language created by bosses who gaze at us from their seats with pride. In fact, the figure in front of us now resembles an adult child with the mustache representing masculine language, authority, and supposed wisdom. The artificiality created by the strange value system taught to him and practiced by him is not only limited to his fake mustache, but it is accompanied by a peculiar artificiality created by the sabotaging self-erasing pen sculpture. The pen, which is the most commonly used object by the patron standing at the helm of the stagnant system, exposes the inefficiency of the system with every signature it makes. The paradoxical repetition of writing and erasing action sends us into the abyss of sameness, a hellish cycle.

Tomris Melis Golar May, 2023

1.”Borges, J. L. (2013). The Book of Sand. (Y. Ersoy Canpolat, Trans.) Istanbul: İletişim Publising.”

2. Han, B. C. (2020). The Agony of Eros. (Translated by Şeyda ÖZTÜRK), Metis Publishing, Istanbul. 3. Ümid Gurbanov. (2021, December 1). Byung-Chul Han: The Problem of Being a Free Individual in a Success-Oriented Society [Video]. YouTube.