Mixed Technique on Canvas, 130x110 cm, 2025, Istanbul.
“That Which Could Be”
The artist’s work “That Which Could Be” centers on the image of an empty bird’s nest to open a layered conceptual inquiry into impermanence, memory, and the notion of dwelling. The nest ceases to function as a protective space and transforms into a site of absence—a silent reminder of what once existed. This transformation also resonates with the contemporary subject’s fragile search for belonging.
Art historically, the work evokes echoes of the 17th-century Vanitas tradition. Yet, unlike classical Vanitas, this image does not represent death directly. Instead, it turns its gaze to the invisible dissolutions and micro-decays embedded in everyday life. The restrained surface constructs an understated drama, inviting contemplation through silence.
The piece may also be read through Giorgio Agamben’s notion of “potentiality.” Though devoid of any living presence, the nest carries a latent beginning—a possibility that never came to be. Here, emptiness is not a sign of lack, but a space of potential.
Avoiding objective narration, the work proposes a visual silence through its formal austerity. It is within this silence that the viewer projects their own memory and experience onto the image. Thus, the work becomes not merely something seen, but something remembered and personally reconstructed.
