WISHES FROM HEREAFTER
2024
YEKTA CETINKAYA
w/ contributions from Ferhat Demirel

INSTALLATION PROJECT
Wood, metal, plexiglass, 3D-printed models,
fabric, sand, LED lights, acrylic paint
7'x14'x12' ft (213x426x365 cm)

EXHIBITION STATEMENT

WISHES FROM HEREAFTER
2024
Yekta Cetinkaya
With contributions from Ferhat Demirel

The cubic sculptures or artifacts that are found throughout the space on a bed of sand pay homage to the practice of shadow play, an ancient tradition of storytelling prominent in Anatolia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. The imagery created by Ferhat Demirel that narrates scenes of rural life and migration are positioned inside these sculptural objects to construct mini theater sets. These fictional artifacts contain and transmit Demirel's stories that explore our relationship with natural environments.

Acting as a monument of warning as well as healing, Wishes from Hereafter questions how a region's culture which has deceptively become associated with and implicated in conflict, whether through
outside influences or by self-representation, can help us reconcile
for our shared futures.

A work of speculative fiction, Wishes from Hereafter examines through a diasporic lens the significance of traditions, narratives, and rituals that are primarily informed by nature and land, notably amid climate change, wars, and rapid globalization.

The sculpture located at the center of the work which takes its form from a motif found in Anatolian kilims (tapestries), simulates a wishing tree, a tradition where strips of cloth, ribbons, or prayer beads are tied to trees as a healing ritual or to wish for good health.

The metal bars that spear the tree-like structure present contradicting implications; they extend out resembling branches while also suggesting a violent act.

SELECTED FIGURES: