Layer From Background

Leylâ Gediz

In the turbulent square of Martim Moniz, stands a robust building by the architect Bartolomeu Costa Cabral. Invited by TECLA PLAY Cultural Association, artist Leylâ Gediz presents an installation of paintings in the interior gallery of the building, which has been cut off from the square over time and plunged into silence. The exhibition, which can be reached by walking up the ramp on the building’s façade, will allow the site to be visited, and the achitecture to function as the public space it was designed to be. 

The title: In Photoshop applications, transforming the background into an ordinary layer eliminates the idea of a backdrop. As background loses its gravity, all layers and figures can shift and move independently. Intruiged by the shifts of diasporic beings across the world, Leylâ Gediz is devoted to expanding the field of painting, its settings and its audiences. On this occasion, Gediz will display a group of works that reflect on the possibilities of being unrooted stemming from her personal experience of coming from Istanbul and living in Lisbon.

As part of the exhibition, the artist will hold a talk with independent curator, educator and writer Övül Durmuşoğlu and a publication will be launched including texts by architect and researcher Luísa Sol and Övül Durmuşoğlu.

Supported by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and SAHA Association.

Opening: Thursday, 7th April 2022 16:00 – 20:00

Finissage, Artist Talk and Catalogue Launch: Saturday, 14th May 18:00 – 20:00

8 April – 14 May 2022 

Tuesday – Saturday, 14:00 – 19:00

TECLA PLAY - Associação Cultural

Rua do Arco do Marquês do Alegrete no6, 1100-034 Lisboa

+351.966062492  contacto@playfest.pt  www.playfest.pt

Leylâ Gediz (04/20/1974 Istanbul, Turkey) lives and works in Lisbon.

She completed her MA in Visual Arts at Goldsmiths College (London, 1999) and a BA in Fine Art (Painting) at the Slade School of Fine Art, UCL (London, 1998). 

She had solo exhibitions in Istanbul, Los Angeles, Zurich, Helsinki and Amsterdam.

Gediz holds an important place in Turkey for her innovative research into painting as a contemporary practice. Her work has been widely exhibited and is included in prestigious public and private collections such as Istanbul Modern, Arter (Istanbul), ARCO Foundation (Spain) and Van Abbemuseum (Eindhoven). 

Gediz is represented by The Pill Contemporary Art, Istanbul  www.thepill.co  www.leylagediz.com