When we think of our subconscious thoughts, we largely think about dreams. They are ethereal, surreal, and start to disappear from our minds the moment we awaken. It’s what immediately hits you about Ayse Bayram’s watercolours: they have that same intangible quality, as if they remind you of times and people without allowing you to place your finger on it. Watercolour is a fitting medium, as, just like our subconscious mind, it isn’t as controlled; it bleeds at the edges and resists clear confinement.
Just as we try to interpret our dreams, we bring that same level of analysis to Ayse’s work. When we see the face in “Sea of the subconscious”, we all know what it’s like to feel adrift, pulled by currents and lost with no direction. We see ourselves in it, a moment in our past, or maybe today if we’re stuck in a rut and not sure where to go next in life. The number one regret of those on their deathbed is that they never lived the life they wanted, and this is captured in the work.
In “Will and Shadow”, several elements of identity are manipulated by a puppeteer, which once again captures a universal feeling. Often, we feel pulled in different directions and guided by something other than what our hearts desire. Maybe it’s what our parents want us to be, possibly it’s how advertising and social media algorithms manipulate us.
“Carnival of Identity” reflects the many faces we must wear in everyday life. We are fluid beings who adopt a different persona when we’re talking to a child versus our parents, at a professional meeting, or when trying to ignore someone who’s trying to hand us a flyer. We all contain multitudes, many faces we present to the world, yet they are all intrinsically a part of us. Just as we might find masked performers at a carnival, she is keen to explore the many masks we wear as we ‘perform’ for different audiences.
Ayse Bayram’s work joins a long list of artists who have taken inspiration from the subconscious, whether it be Salvador Dali’s melting clocks, Giorgio di Chirico’s architectural visions, or the long line of powerful female surrealists, including Frida Kahlo, Dorothea Tanning, and Leonor Fini.
Just like these greats before her, she is mining the subconscious mind for what it can teach both herself and her audience. Art gives us a lens to understand ideas we can’t put into words, and it’s fitting that she draws from the subconscious world, as it’s still a part of neuroscience and neuropsychology that isn’t fully understood.
As her work evolves, I’d like to see how these works can have an impact on a larger scale and what further elements of dreams and unconscious thought can be uncovered in her practice. When a person sees her work, it has the ability to infiltrate their subconscious and alter the way they see the world and interpret their own thoughts, and the cycle continues. We’ll be seeing Ayse Bayram’s work in both life and our dreams.
Ayse Bayram’s works were shown at Versus Arts, London, from 28th March to 4th April, and she had a solo show at Espacio Gallery, London, from 25th-28th April.
More information may be found on her website and Instagram. All images are copyright and courtesy of Ayse Bayram.
