Nihal Martlı

Pastiches

December 7, 2017 - January 13, 2018

The exhibition takes its title from the word pastiche, meaning; a work of visual art, literature, theatre or music that mimics the style or the character of the work of one or more artists. Using references to art history and literature since 2004, Martlı this time brings together the audience with her ‘pastiches’ series with their latest forms acquired in recent years.

In the exhibition, some of the paintings are built on Martlı’s own interpretation of the themes that certain artists from the art history deals with and some emerge as a direct placement of ‘a painting from art history’ into her own painting. In this exhibition, her references to art history, thematically blends with other motives she uses in her paintings such as women, literature, love, enigma and chansons. The artist composes a collage in her unique way, taking inspiration simultaneously; she gets inspired by a painting from art history or an oeuvre from literature or is influenced by a painting, a chanson or song in the other works.

These works that she initiated with satirical paintings by positioning herself towards the masterpieces, created a painting series that celebrates with a compassionate approach the art history, from renaissance to 20th century American painting. The paintings can be interpreted as how art history and literature transforms into a shelter for the artist in her works; in other words, the works can be regarded as artist’s perception and experience on life and on history of art through the written and visual culture, figures, occurrences and images.