PAST

The End of the World We Know

23 MARCH - 4 MAY

“For years the miracle had passed me by, with its scents, its sounds, loved, worshipped, but no understood; it was there, but I had not seen it arrive, had not seen the husk of the seed burst, the first delicate thread tremble in the light.”

Uğur Cinel’s first solo exhibition “The End of the World We Know”, which will take place at PILOT Gallery between 23 March - 4 May 2024, is about a tree’s suggestion to the world with its way of life. Far from the rigidity attributed to the eternal, this deep-rooted way of life continues to move despite its mortality. The intercellular communication of plants spreads them to the most extreme parts of the world and keeps them alive. At first glance, the network that bodies that are thought to be immobile establish with each other transforms the harshest conditions into a living space. Using stone, one of the materials that best preserves memory, Cinel sculps this species that spreads through time without haste. “The End of the World We Know”, reflects on survival, inspired by the life of trees that seem to wait without changing their place.

In his studio surrounded by olive trees, Cinel sees a view of the future world. This world is a place where only olive trees survive. Olive trees are depicted as symbols of immortality in sacred books and legends. The artist carries the traces of the past to the future through his sculptures inspired by the bond of immortality established with olive trees, as in the lines written by the poet Homer in the Iliad Epic.

In this exhibition, Cinel predicts the end of humanity and the world in his depiction of the future through olive trees. With a reference to the Noah’s Flood in the Old Testament, the artist focuses on a time when the current world will come to an end and designs world olive trees continue to live unharmed and become a symbol of a new beginning and hope. Through his sculptures, the artist invites us to think and question deeply about the future of humanity, nature, and the world. Olive trees, represent hope and immortality in this world of thought.

Uğur Cinel, who was born in Istanbul in 1985, graduated from Marmara University's Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Sculpture in 2010. Cinel continues his work at his Izmir studio, using the basic production disciplines of sculpture, modulation, collage, and sculpture.

The first step in the artist's creative process is to thoroughly comprehend the material. With his many experiments on the material and his voyage through the strata, he goes beyond the basic connotations. While the material's language guides the production, it also becomes a part of the conceptual narrative. The artist frequently refers to the concepts of emptiness and fullness, which create each other, as well as repetitive geometric forms. They are not only visible in the material or form, but they are also a part of the process as part of the conceptual integrity. What emerges is a reflection of time, which, despite its rigidity, has progressed from the past to the present and will always continue on its path.

Uğur Cinel’s exhibition titled “The End of the World We Know” can be seen at Pilot Gallery until May 4, 2024.