SELIME OKUYAN
BIOGRAPHY
‘Memory fades, memory adjusts, memory conforms to what we we think we remember.’ Joan Didion, Blue Nights Selime Okuyan investigates given instinct of remembering in her multimedia works, spanning a large spectrum including found objects, paper, thread and industrial residue. The passing of time and its remnants as silhouettes of memories are embodied in the detail of her works, manifesting Okuyan’s reflective and usually labor intensive creations. The New York based artist’s background, from her Uzbek roots to childhood years in Turkey, plays an important role in her practice echoing motifs and moments from another place and another time. From rather ephemeral and fragile materials such as paper and yarn to industrial and rigid components including metal and glass, Okuyan’s range of mediums reflect her fascination towards sensuality, both in forms of physical connection and emotional stimuli. Okuyan approaches these materials as narrators of her meticulous process. Repetitive yet solvent acts such as knotting, marking, scraping or sometimes simply waiting infuse into her practice while a series of detailed drawings or a fiber piece she weaved recount her odyssey on her behalf.
ROOM 405
