Kağıt /Paper/ Хартия
various cut outs
wine holder cardboard
samples of oiled paper
illuminated paper
wood fiber cardboard
dome with 55 frames
backside of a frame
32 pieces of folded paraffin paper
layered - undefined paper
ad hoc patterned paper - folded
7 prints , gradiations of texture
55 pieces of paper – wallpapering glue
layered rice paper
collected, used teabags
“There must be a painting totally free of dependence on the figure-or object-which, like music, illustrates nothing, tells no story, and launches no myth. Such a painting would simply evoke the incommunicable kingdoms of the spirit, where dreams become thought, where line becomes existence”
Michel Seuphor
Each paper has its own memory. In the past years Bayram collected paper from the different countries where she resided as an artist. The concept of memory is connected to temporality. Time is always an active performer in her work, in Kağıt it is a decisive element in the diffusion of oil on the surface of paper, it activates the imprints left by sunlight, the adhesion between sheets of paper and adjacent surfaces, the diffusion of scents —capturing not just the passage of time itself, but the embodiment of body, life, and lived experiences. The temporal dimension in Bayram her work approaches that of tree growth, with their rings bearing witness to the passage of time. The artist records from introspection and contemplation.
For this exhibition the artist gives insight in her fascination for paper, Kağıt in Turkish. The sensual qualities of a stack of packaging material found by the artist, inspired her to question this fastly produced paper and find ways in how it can be given back its own autonomous being, transcending its functionality, imposed by the local context and usage.
During her stay in Sofia for The Image Generator in 2022, Meryem Bayram became fascinated by the Credo Bonum gallery and in particular the domes in the ceiling and their strict and determining rhythm. As a visual artist with also a background in scenography she exhibits her work in dialogue with the space.
Bayram her work is completed under the gaze and participation of the audience. By crafting this situation, she provides anchors for the memories of different visitors who enter, tapping into their bodily memory. At the opening of Kağıt, she will activate her installation that reflects and dialogues with the architecture of Credo Bonum.
Opening 6 june 20204
7-30 june 2024
Credo Bonum Gallery – Sofia, Bulgaria
Credits: Kağıt / Paper/ Хартия
was produced by Studio Oba and Rossinant with the support of Platform 0090, SOFAM and the Flemish Community.
Thanks to Yi Zhang, Davine Maesen, MAS Museum Antwerp, Studio Zuidervaart
