BETWEEN AUTUMN AND SUMMER
Curatorial Text: Titled "Between Autumn and Summer," this exhibition takes a seasonal transition as its starting point to place the concept of liminality at the center of a visual inquiry. It approaches the ambiguous interval between the end of autumn and the onset of summer not merely as a meteorological phenomenon, but as a state of being with consumerist, pleasurable, and aesthetic dimensions. Developed by anthropologist Victor Turner—building upon Arnold van Gennep’s theory of "rites of passage"—this concept refers to an "in-between" state experienced between structural conditions; it describes intermediate phases where existence is suspended, norms dissolve, and the potential for transformation is at its peak. This exhibition is an interdisciplinary inquiry aiming to examine how this state of "being on the threshold" is experienced, represented, and contemplated through art. Liminality signifies more than just a spatial or temporal interval; it corresponds to the emergence of a profound ontological outcome. This phenomenon can mark the end of a collapse just as it signals the beginning of a formation; it carries the possibility of liberation alongside the sense of loss. In this context, the state of being "caught in the middle"—frequently experienced in society—can be viewed as the everyday manifestation of this threshold space. Although the indecision inherent in this state—and the resulting sense of formlessness—is often perceived as a moment to be overcome, it actually harbors a transformative potential. Indeed, Carl Jung frequently pointed out that the process of self-discovery, self-actualization, or individuation takes shape precisely within such threshold spaces. What we term the "social threshold" represents these critical stages in the subject's journey toward individuation. Many of the threshold experiences an individual undergoes serve as precursors to their performance and their capacity for autonomous existence. This is because a person discovers their true essence and gains their place within social processes precisely in this liminal space. Much like the structures described by Victor Turner, the process of acquiring social status involves passing through similar stages; individuals "stand at the threshold"—suspended between their established identities, timelines, or communities and a new path not yet defined by previous conventions. During this process, the continuity of events may become blurred, and future outcomes open to question. In this sense, the human being is an entity composed of fragments, existing in a state of constant transition. Consequently, in today’s globalized world—an era where identities are constantly questioned, social structures are transforming, and the individual exists in a perpetual state of liminality—liminality is no longer an exceptional moment but an ordinary state of being. "Between Autumn and Summer" proposes viewing these fragments not as a deficit or a loss, but as fertile ground where critical thought and new forms of imagination can flourish. The exhibition presents a compelling argument for how art can articulate the complexities of this liminal state and create the language, solutions, and spaces necessary to navigate it.
Artists
* Mevsim Çağan * Başak Çolak * Burak Dağ * Nida Erdoğan * Sena Gökçeoğlu * Asya Nur Hasgül * Ezgi Kanargı * Bilal Kara * Rumeysa Öztürk * Yağız Seis * Gizem Şanlı * Emir Tekkalmaz * Muzaffer Tuna * Tolga Turan
Curator: Hicran Aksöz
