Rahşan Düren's seventh solo exhibition: 'Verwegenheit'

Transforming into a site-specific performative installation thanks to its cinematographic structure, the "Verwegenheit" exhibition invites the viewer to confront their own self, past, desires, and fears; and most importantly, the feeling of "alienation" that lies in wait to be triggered within each of our inner worlds. With its title, which originates from German and means "fearlessness, boldness, audacity," the exhibition refers to artist Rahşan Düren's creative courage and approach to new experiments in each of her projects.

THE "VERWEGENHEIT" EXHIBITION IN THE ENCHANTING ATMOSPHERE OF TARHAN HAN

The "Verwegenheit" exhibition turns the contrast between the exterior and interior spaces of Tarhan Han—which draws attention with its Art Deco facade but lost much of its "soul" following a restoration after a long period of abandonment—into a metaphor for the chasm between an individual's image in the outside world and the authentic essence they hide from that world. Combined with Rahşan Düren's abstract and semi-abstract compositions, the exhibition presents the contrast between interior and exterior space in a metaphorical way.

The abstract and semi-abstract compositions, which merge and separate with the architecture of Tarhan Han, create a permeable space for the viewer to look at themselves from both the inside and the outside. On the other hand, the fragments of memory held by Tarhan Han and its immediate surroundings bring to the surface the feeling of alienation experienced on a social scale through sexual, ethnic, and cultural identities. Thus, the "Verwegenheit" exhibition, which makes it inevitable for the viewer to reckon with themselves and question the networks of belonging upon which they base their identity, opens the doors to a kind of "spiritual archaeology" process.

The "Verwegenheit" exhibition, which will feature various valuable works by artist Rahşan Düren, will be presented to art lovers at Tarhan Han on Tuesday, October 15.

The exhibition, which will be open to visitors every day except Sunday and Monday from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM, can be viewed until December 31.

WHO IS RAHŞAN DÜREN?

She was born in Germany in 1975. She completed her primary and secondary education in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. She studied Art History, Philosophy, and Political Science at RWTH Aachen. She graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Cologne in 2002 and completed her specialization in Adult Psychiatry at Marmara University Faculty of Medicine. She opened her first exhibition in St. Gallen, Switzerland, in 1993.

During her residency training, she attended the Sculpture Department of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University as a guest student. As the founder and president of the Culture, Art and Nature Association, which aims to develop art in rural areas of Turkey, Düren has been professionally pursuing her work oriented toward plastic arts and installation since 2007. 

News Source: 12punto