The Metal Flesh of Ikarus
Istanbul serves as the current base for Arif Cekderi, where the studio air carries the scent of oxidation and heavy metals. Born in 1980 in Eskişehir, Turkey, his path through the academy was defined by a rigorous focus on the physical limits of form. He graduated from the Anadolu University Faculty of Fine Arts Sculpture Department in 2006. The work moves from the academic to the experimental, particularly during his time at Marmara University Graduate School of Fine Arts. There, he explored the concept of the expanded body through his research into artistic prosthetic applications.
The sculpture Ikarus, displayed at the Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art in İstanbul, captures a specific tension between human biology and mechanical aspiration. It draws direct lines to Leonardo Da Vinci’s ornithopter and Vladimir Tatlin’s Letatlin. These historical blueprints for flight represent a desire to merge functional limbs with the human frame. The piece visualizes a longing that persists even in an age of modern aircraft—the dream of flying through the use of limbs that have become part of our very anatomy.
Evolution of Form and Material
The transition from figurative sculpture to more complex, conceptual structures marks a shift in his practice. Until 2013, Cekderi focused on figures rooted in history and mythology. His early solo exhibitions in Ankara provided a stage for these mythological explorations. However, the focus soon shifted toward the raw properties of metal. While aluminum and stainless steel appear frequently in his recent repertoire, the primary medium remains metal, manipulated to reflect biological or evolutionary themes.
His current investigations move away from simple storytelling into the mechanics of existence. He examines:
- The repetitive cycles found within nature.
- The positioning of living beings within these natural loops.
- Strategies for escaping repetitive patterns.
- The evolutionary origins of human behavior.
Works such as To be more resilient II and The Unborn State of the Extinct demonstrate this preoccupation with survival and biological persistence. The metal is not merely a surface but a medium for discussing the durability of life itself.
