World Fine Art Professionals and their Key-Pieces, 22 – Esra Kizir Gökçen

 

World Fine Art Professionals and their Key-Pieces, 22 – Esra Kizir Gökçen ‘Being one’ is the starting point of Esra Kizir Gökçen. We are all part of a huge system. Nobody is more important than another person. Nor is there any other part of nature more significant than other material. ‘If we can understand the earth, nature and each other, everything would be easier.’ We have to analyze our territory and ourselves, according to Esra Gökçen. ‘As layers, one by one. Are we fitting in? Or are we one or two sizes different from nature’s foresight? Are we in peace and harmony with all beings? Whenever we find the correct answers we can be ONE.’

Evolution The central theme in Esra’s work is the similarity between people and nature. Both have layers. ‘In nature you can see the signs of a million years genesis on rocks, earth and even on plants. The evolution worked and works for all living things.’ It apllies to human behavior as well. ‘We persons are also layered. We have responsibilities towards our community, towards ourselves, towards the society and – most of all – towards the earth. It is striking that this last responsability usually gets the last place. There is a difference between how we seem to be, what we want to be and what we really are.’

Make-up Gökçen’s keywork in the series where she is working on at the moment, the Metamorph- Trick series, is ‘Artificial Layers’. ‘It is a new work on canvas but I drew the first sketch in 2012. It is telling about the destructive human touch to the earth. Men puts aside all natural values and in this way estranges himself from the essence of creation.’ The sketch is one of the first drawings which shows awareness of the environment. ‘I started to draw these kind of criticizing drawings in 2011. They changed my artistic approach and my personal standpoint. I became much more direct. It is like putting away make-up.’

The Bubbles An earlier series of her is the Bubbles Series. She combined watercolor, acrylic, oil painting, impasto, collage and engraving technics. It resulted in multi-layered works on canvas. The idea of the Bubbles was that we all live in an own unique world. ‘In order to live this life we created fragile protection shields, symbolized in Bubbles. These bubbles protect our souls, like a glasshouse protects the vegetables. It seems strong, but is fragile in fact.’ The balance and peace in Bubbles symbolizes our need to respect each other and live in harmony.

‘The ideal society is made up of individuals who gained inner wholeness. My utopia is the peaceful union of completed individuals. Esra says: ‘I was born with the talent of observing and drawing. It was an instinct. Growing up, I always searched the right way to express my feelings. Creating by line, color and texture is the best way for my own expression, I found out.’ The instinct of creating lead her to study fine arts at Marmara University in Istanbul. After her study she attended workshops of printmaking.

Reaching the point Gökçen worked in advertising agencies and the broadcast industry. Now she runs workshops for children and adults in her studio at Anadolu Hisari, Istanbul. With an event agency she organizes corporate art activity events. She participates in group exhibitions since 2005. Her works are in various collections in Turkey, America, China, Italy, Cyprus, Finland, Spain, Bulgaria and Ukraine. ‘Al the things I lived with, all the feelings, all the books, all the music, all sights i’ve seen, all experiences and all the knowledge I gained, builds me as a person.

I have hopes, dreams and foresights for the future. With the gains of yesterday and foresights for tomorrow, I build my art NOW. Art is the direct way to communicatie without borders. It gives me the power to touch hearts and minds directly.’ ’It is always an experiment to reach “the point”. But I really don’t know what the point will bring ….’