Baris Gokturk, "Gunetre II"

In “Gunetre II," Baris Gokturk draws on historical archives and documents of global political conflict, transforming source images through repeated processes of fragmentation and layering. About Baris Gokturk is an artist and educator raised in Turkey and Puerto Rico. He has an MFA in Sculpture from Columbia University in addition to an MFA in painting from Hunter College. He is currently an Associate Professor at Rhode Island School of Design. Gokturk is known for experimental, multi-layered processes where he creates multiple iterations of works that draw from the same reference image; exhibited works involved shredding, layering, and transferring historical archives, documents of global political dissent, and "photographic skin" images onto physical sculptures. Densely coded and ambiguous, the works elude easy interpretation. Like Garcia-Lopez and López-Jensen, Gokturk’s works suggest the loosening of predetermined definitions while allowing the slow reveal inherent to mysteries, oracles and transformative metamorphosis. Gunetre II serves as an extension of this thematic exploration—it is a work that has been deconstructed, layered, and rebuilt into a brand-new form that feels vaguely familiar but cannot be easily defined. Made site-specifically for the courtyard of Equity Gallery, Gunetre II further explores the artist’s Shape-shifters body of work. The artist notes that, “…these pieces linger between drawing, painting, and sculpture, often giving new form to found objects, existing artworks, and paint skins on surfaces. Ultimately, these creations have the unique ability to adapt and reform in response to the environments they inhabit.” Read more Toggle Sculpture Painting Installation