Back in 5 Minutes
A small arrangement of everyday objects forms a scene taken from the street and relocated into the gallery. A folding chair holds a glass of tea, accompanied by a bowl of sunflower seeds and the shells scattered on the floor. A pair of slippers and a crossword puzzle indicate the recent presence of a teyze (Turkish for “auntie”), a familiar figure in the neighborhood. Such arrangements are commonly found outside homes in Turkey and the Mediterranean, where women spend long periods seated at their doorways, observing the daily movements and functioning as the ears and eyes of their neighborhood. The installation isolates this familiar situation, presenting it as a moment temporarily interrupted. The work refers to a sustained practice of watching, waiting, and remaining present in the life of the street that has been mastered for years and years.
Statement of Tribute
Read aloud during the exhibition, while cracking sunflower seeds
"Sunflower seeds are cracked open one by one, their shells gathering on the ground like a quiet measure of time."
"Her knowledge forms a living archive, carried in memory rather than paper."
“A national sport of patience and attention, not as a common expression but as a way of naming a discipline learned over years of repetition.”
"The tea waits. The shells remain."
- Jale Sezgin