Spotlight

Spotlight Contemporary Turkish artist Lal Batman

Championed by Ebru Yetişkin
The Wick - Lal Batman
Above  Lal Batman
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The Wick - Lal Batman
Above  Lal Batman
Interview
Lal Batman
26 October 2022
Interview
Lal Batman
26 October 2022
Independent curator and sociologist Ebru Yetişkin discovered the work of Lal Batman at her first solo DIY exhibition in Istanbul, where they are both based, pre pandemic. She instantly recognised her as a powerful female artist.

Yetişkin says: “As soon as I met her, I realised that she has a very creative and curious mind. Her artistic skills in using various media and materials in experimental artworks were remarkable. We developed our conversation by making a collective artistic research on the shifting aspects of contemporary visual culture.”

Spanning oil paintings, digital illustrations, NFTs and video recordings, Batman’s work explores the complexities of life, unspoken stories and moments of bravery. She combines layers, textures, experimental materials, motifs, intricate structures, amorphous and deformed bodies with her personal memory to create a complex compositional puzzle and an experimental effect.
Batman says: “I am a storyteller. I analyse and narrate what is going on in my life and around me. I proceed with experimental techniques in my productions. I present my stories in a transparent way. In this process, my production practices vary. I intend to reveal my stories and fictions with all their transparency. My inspiration and motivation for my productions are unmasked. My productions hold a mirror up to me and the audience. Even for a moment it gives us the opportunity to breathe in the face of reality… I intend to make this moment eternal with my stories and productions that I will continue.”

Ebru Yetişkin has worked with Batman since 2021, curating her solo exhibitions including Exposé, which presented artistic research on how digital platforms contribute to socio-cultural change.

Yetişkin says: “Today, we are living in a world with many unknowns. I believe that today, collective artistic research would enable us to explore the possibilities of co-learning and critically reflect on the various forms of ignorance production. Within experimental settings, we may generate temporary situations and collaborations that would allow for dynamic relationships and translations across the slippery boundaries among various disciplines, peoples and ideas to stimulate unpredictable forms of knowledge production. The exhibitions Exposé (February 2022) and Entr’acte: Between The Acts of Life (June 2022) are the results of this ongoing collective research process.”
Batman adds: “Since last year, I have been focusing on international projects with an intense pace. I look forward to bringing the experimental and interactive world I have created to audiences all over the world.”

Her next solo exhibition will be held at Anna Laudel Gallery in Düsseldorf, Germany, in November 2023.

About the champion

The Wick - Spotlight Contemporary Turkish artist Lal Batman

Drawing on her studies in cinema, sociology and media studies, Istanbul-based curator and researcher Ebru Yetişkin is focused on the interaction of science, technology, politics and art. As well as being committed to her academic and curatorial research, she is a founding member of the IstanbuLab – Science, Technology and Society Platform and the international organisation FEMeeting – Women in Art, Science and Technology, which was developed to increase knowledge sharing and a sense of community between individuals that identify as women.

“We developed our conversation by making a collective artistic research on the shifting aspects of contemporary visual culture.”

Place of Birth

Bursa, Turkey.

Education

I studied at Zeki Müren Fine Arts High School (2016-2019) and am currently studying in Plastic Arts and the Painting Department at Yeditepe University.

Awards, Accolades

I was invited by Valeri Chakalov to the International Video Art Festival organised by the painting department of Shumen University. My short film Strange Man was recognised by the University’s judging panel and commission at the Festival in 2017. In the same year, I received an honorary award as a result of the “Made By Artist” exhibition and symposium organised with the contribution of UNESCO in Athens.

Current exhibitions

In November 2023, my solo exhibition will open at Anna Laudel Gallery Düsseldorf, Germany.

Spiritual guides, Mentors

Ebru Yetişkin and I share a similarly strong language and energy together. Ebru is a sociologist and I, as an artist, have been making collective artistic research since 2021. As an artist, it is a very exciting journey for me. From now on, we are focused on upcoming research projects. As an experimental artist, working with a researcher guides and inspires me.

Advice

Never stop and follow the path and voice of your heart.
Avoid masking yourself.
There is so much to say, so much action to be taken.
Show the world the light within you, your dreams, with all your transparency. Don’t be afraid…
In time, you will see that all the doors will open one after the other on the path you believe in.
In this whole process, don’t stop, work, move forward despite the obstacles…
Never shut yourself up to learning. Be open to transformation.
Trust your vision that develops over time. You will witness that the doors opened in front of you will turn into eternity…
Creation is infinite. Don’t be afraid of eternity, own your journey and be yourself.


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