Belgin Yücelen at the Dole Mansion, Chicago
February 14, 2017 Sergio Gomez Exhibitions, News, Press Releases
Solo Exhibitions at the Dole Mansion by Belgin Yücelen
Dole Mansion in Crystal Lake, Illinois will open a number of unique art exhibitions featuring Turkish-American artist Belgin Yücelen on March 3rd, on view until March 30, 2017.
Clothes from the Past
“Clothes from the Past” exhibit is the outcome of a desire to rekindle the history by recreating clothes worn by women and children in Anatolia and Europe between the 17th and 19th centuries. The artist Belgin Yuceen used traditional techniques and materials from Turkey and other parts of Asia to create these metal dresses that will be hung up on walls and from the ceiling like silhouettes of time.
This unique exhibition with sculptural dresses will have educational and historical elements. The dress styles of the period reflect the traditions and diverse nature of the people of the vast lands of the Ottoman Empire.
She designed the dresses to emphasize the unified beauty and grace of the garments of the time. Some designs are based on the patterns and cuts documented by miniature paintings and literary sources. Others are her creations. All are embellished by imaginary elements which are derived from an extensive study of the textiles of the time.
Floating Children
Belgin Yucelen’s exhibition “Floating Children” is intended to display the fragility children in times of war. She collaborated with Brian Rutter a photojournalist for this exhibition.
Large sheer fabric up to 6ft high with black and white photographs of Syrian children will be hung from the ceiling in a way to seem like they are floating in the wind. The artist was inspired by a Japanese woodblock from 18th century of a woman whose handkerchief and concealed letters were carried away by a sudden wind. These children can also be carried away and disappear. The transparency emphasizes their fragility. To observe a child’s delicate innocence feels weightless even under the most difficult circumstances. A feeling of lightness is what she desired to convey with the light sheer material.
She hopes that this exhibition will remind the viewers that there is always something we can do to make this world better especially for children. Art can touch our souls beautifully and I hope that this installation piece will do the same.
Words
Belgin Yucelen’s exhibition “Words” is an invitation to listen to each other more.
Imagine what happens to words if they are not heard? The imagery she always had since childhood was that words would be floating forever in the sky or inside rooms if they are not heard. The idea behind this exhibition was born from this persistent thought.
She asked people who they are, how they define themselves and if there is anything different they would have wanted to be. These are questions no one possibly asked before and not so comfortable either. Their recorded responses with an intense earnestness are the audio part of this exhibition. They will be played in an overlapping and echoing manner as if the words were coming from a monologue far away in time. Remorse, pride or hope for change together with a desire to be heard is revealed in many of them.
“Spoken words are actually sound waves. They carry the weight of the meaning intended for them when they are spoken. Their meaning however is lost and they become weightless if they are not heard by another person”, she says. The installation piece she designed which represent floating “words” consist of transparent spheres. About 400 spheres made of transparent sheer fabric will be hung from the ceiling. They will be the visual representation of the spoken but unheard weightless words.
Ethereal Shoes
“Ethereal Shoes” is an installation of sculptural shoes in a dream like walk from the past. This exhibit is an attempt to rewrite the story of shoes through history.
Belgin Yucelen is an installation artist, and a sculptor. She presents her values, ideas and beliefs through her art. She studied at the Florence Accademia D’Arte, University of Colorado Boulder, Art Students League of Denver and Scottsdale Art School. Her work has been shown in museums, private collections, sculpture gardens, and galleries.
About Dole Mansion
Built in 1860’s Dole Mansion is a three story building with historically intact rooms. The Lakeside Arts Park operating at the Dole Mansion has a mission to preserve the Dole Mansion and to support arts and education. Location: 401 Country Club Road, Crystal Lake, Illinois, 60014
Sergio Gomez is a Chicago-based visual artist and creative entrepreneur. He is owner and Director of 33 Contemporary Gallery, Director of Exhibitions at the Zhou B. Art Center, founder of VisualArtToday.com and Amplified Art Network, Creative Consultant for Idea Seat Marketing & Advertising, Contributor for Italia Arte Magazine, and curator and producer of the National Wet Paint MFA Biennial. In 2014, Sergio co-founded the program Art NXT Level to help artists manage thier careers.
https://www.amplifiedartnetwork.com/belgin-yucelen-at-the-dole-mansion-chicago/