Change is the driving force in the world, we’re constantly evolving as is the world around us and the people we interact with. But it also scares us as it can result in uncertainty and emotionally challenging times.
This double-sided relationship with transitions forms the core of artist Sezin Aksoy’s practice. She draws inspiration from the changes within us through mindfulness, spirituality, and changes in the wider world regarding our impact on the planet and the wider environment.
Her series ‘Transmutation’ deals with this concept by including figures, animals and plants within the work. It asks us to contemplate how connected we all are and how every breath we take contains oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide that will have passed through millions of beings around us and those that have come before us. As Sezin says:
It is the unsustainable energy form in every small particle of nature that is all connected to one and another
‘Transcendentalism’ looked at the world’s religions and how they have common ideals whether that be in Christianity, Islam or Hinduism – how they are not that dissimilar to philosophy and how the teachings of Immanuel Kant could also be viewed with a similar lens.
‘Transpersonal’ takes us deep inside ourselves basing this series on our inner mind’s eye, what we see when we meditate and how we view our psyche. While ‘Transfiguration’ is based on the body and how that changes when we move and perform.
The prefix ‘trans’ is present throughout Sezin’s series of works as the uniting force and as she succinctly puts it: “The main concept comes from the meaning of trans, which in my own perspective summarizes the fast movement of change in life itself”.
‘Transit’ takes us into shamanism and the spirit animals we see in the other realms we’re transported to – such as the rare white raven, a powerful symbol of transformation. These paintings also incorporate mushrooms and hallucinogenic frogs that have been used as psychedelics to enable us to see visions.
Performance is also a key part of Sezin’s, with previous exhibitions including deep meditation by the artist in the space and participatory elements where visitors were invited to connect strings in a symbolic ceremony to wash away negative memories.
She has written poetry to go with her paintings, and both a book on shamanism and a fiction novel that involves both a spiritual and astronomical journey in the formation of a planet. It highlights how multi-disciplinary Sezin Aksoy is, an artist based between the UK and Turkey who has shown internationally in locations as varied as Salzburg, Tokyo and Barcelona.
Just as every one of us will transform over time, so will Sezin’s work continue to evolve but what unites both us and her work is the concept of change that will continue to inspire her paintings, performance, writing and her wider artistic practice – guiding her through the creative process, just as it guides us all.
You can learn more about Sezin Aksoy’s work through her website and Instagram. All images courtesy of the artist.
