Picnic in the Dark
Nilbar Güreş (2013)
Materials: mixed media on fabric. Dimensions: 86 × 126 cm.
b. 1977 in Istanbul, Turkey; lives and works in Naples, Italy; Vienna, Austria; and Istanbul, Turkey.
Lender: evn collection, Maria Enzersdorf, Austria
Even the title of Nilbar Güreş’s work, Picnic in the Dark, elicits an unusual perspective, since everyone usually waits for sunshine when planning a picnic. In this sense, the work is characteristic of the artist’s approach and working method. Nilbar Güreş’s body of work encompasses a variety of different forms of expression, including photography, video, film, painting, performance, sculpture, installation, and mixed-media collages on fabric. Investigating social injustice, researching cultural identity codes, and analyzing gender roles are the points of departure for the artist’s works. (1). As Güreş says: “The future is female.” (2). In Picnic in the Dark, a woman occupies the center of the picture. The textile collage features delicately dotted figures on black fabric. A figure glows in soft pink, donning a yellow-patterned headscarf. On closer inspection, a gold-colored ankle shackle becomes visible, a disturbing detail that unsettles the work’s poetic atmosphere. Grouped alongside is an animal—a fox or a wolf—standing upright in gray. Green plant elements also protrude into the action from the edge of the picture. Other enigmatic details can be deciphered, such as a fabric bag with an animal print that holds a glowing television screen. The upper edge of the picture is framed by delicate, cloud-like traces of bright light; a crescent moon is also indicated.
Textiles occupy a central position in Güreş’s body of work. “Textiles and other materials exhibit great semantic diversity, each material typically has a unique story.” (3) Delving more deeply into the Picnic in the Dark also inspires viewers to come up with a variety of new interpretations.
Mona Jas