WELL-GONE

The exhibition WELL-GONE by Yeşim Akdeniz brings together two traditional, hand-crafted (yorgan) blankets by Birol usta from Istanbul with recent works of the artist. The so-called Yorganci blankets were originally made by women in households in Turkey before becoming a profession that came to be dominated by men. Currently, the Yorganci tradition itself is a vanishing craft due to the industrial, mass-production of blankets by (multinational) companies that provide a cheaper alternative. The Yorganci blankets are an important point of reference for the artist’s previous radical selfcare series in which she reclaims this craft, but also for her new works which combines colourful textiles, silicone casts of fruits, vegetables and flowers and hand-painted metal suspension pieces. With showing the Yorganci blankets together with Akdeniz’ recent work, the artist aims to create an exhibition that proposes a horizontal relationship between craft and art objects while simultaneously exploring hierarchical notions of labor and origin, production and domination. Works by Yeşim Akdeniz have been exhibited in institutions such as the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the MAK Vienna, the Dodrecht Museum, the Philara Collection Düsseldorf, the Kunstverein Frankfurt and the Kunstverein Bielefeld among others.