Esma Paçal Turam

Esma Paçal Turam

( paper and silicone )

1963 Born in Istanbul.
1987 Graduating from the University Marmara Fine Arts Faculty, Sculpture Departmant (M.Ü.G.S.F.)
1988 became an academic assistant in the same department.
1990 attended the Department of Arts at the University of Minnesota as a visiting artist where she worked on bronze moulding.
1994, she was given a scholarship by the Austrian Government to study at the Salzburg Internationale Sommer Akademie Für Bildende Kunst for Paper Sculpture at Prof. Andreas Von Weizsacker’s workshop.
1996 PhD in “Paper Sculpture” in Art Examination at the Social Sciences Institute of the Marmara University
1997 she founded the Paper Workshop in the Sculpture Department of the M.Ü.G.S.F.
1998 became an Assistant Professor at the same University
2000, E.P. resigned from the Marmara University.
Since 1999 she has been continuing her work independently in her own workshop in Zekeriyaköy, Istanbul.

Esma Paçal Turam

ARTIST STATEMENT

HorizontalI live in a crowded city and have been fascinated with the communication between different people.
Spectators (2002, solo exhibition, paper sculptures) was about this. I was focusing on the individual in its urban surroundings. The interaction between the people through their surroundings: windows and figures were emphasized people were watching and being watched through the windows or the laundry hanging on a balcony was giving away so much about the occupants of that house.

A few years back, I visited Beijing. The crowd was like nothing I had experienced before. I felt like I was not only flowing with the crowd, but I was floating in it. Then, while still being in the crowd, I started seeing the individuals which made the crowd; happy, proud, old, young, dreamer, curious, bored – they were the crowd, but they were so strongly individual at the same time. Floating in it, flowing with it.

This was new to me, almost a shock. I had been living in a crowded city, but obviously I was making space for my self. My experience in Beijing led to the making of the “Curtain” (2004 Silicone Figurines). This work is the expression of the individuals floating in the crowd. Their individuality is expressed by emphasis on the movement and details eyes and hair of the figurines.

I always liked watching the raindrops coming together, flowing down a window a meditative and peaceful movement. Probably with this idea, I had been working with Silicone since 1994. My technique is to use a hot glue gun and therefore the silicone works almost like a pencil for me. The outcome is transparent, flexible. It shimmers like crystal or glass, it is light in weight like paper and it is a direct material. Most important for me is that I can draw directly with this material.

I was looking for a lace type of effect for the curtain, to be able to look at it from both sides. Silicone just clicked in as the right material for the work.

I carried on exploring to expressing individuality and moved on to doing the One of US (solo 2006, paper sculptures). These are large life size busts all standing alone on elevated legs, they interact with each other (arranged in groups) and form a crowd together with the viewer – but the floating feeling, which is unique to the silicone works is not included, emphasis was on the individuality. The effect was that the magic energy which the crowd gives was not there, these works were somewhat more “sad” in comparison, “lonely” is maybe a better word.

I then moved on to mixing both the paper and silicone in my new Projects.
The dome, representing a metaphorical “temple” is the focus of the individuals who come together and create the crowd (a belief, a hope or even a fear which brings them together). The theme of the crowd becomes louder in this project.

Esma Pacal Turam