The Strangers in Us | Video Yasam Sasmazer
|
Alexia Fernandes |
Video launch | Yasam Sasmazer
|
Info
In the mini documentary The Strangers in Us the artist Yasam Sasmazer gives insight into her work and philosophy, her life in Berlin and the process by which she makes her sculptures.
Contact
Address
http://berlinartprojects.com/en/artists/yasam-sasmazer/video
BERLINARTPROJECTS
Potsdamer Str. 61
10785 Berlin
Germany
The short film shows her walking through Berlin, where the artist from Istanbul now lives and works. 'I think chaos feeds me somehow, I mean the city itself, the sounds of the city, streets, people, everything...' The viewer follows her to the studio, sees her sketching and carving wood. Yasam maintains that creating sculptures helps her find out who she is and understand the world and people around her.
The topic of the shadow has always been at the core of her work. At first she concentrated on sculptures of children, then started depicting adults in 2012. While her figures matured, their shadows extended more and more into space. 'I think as we get older, our shadows become darker, bigger and denser' is the way Yasam describes this development in her work.
In her latest series Metanoia the shadow therefore has become more dominant, it now tells its own story. Dr. Marcus Graf, Program Director of Contemporary Istanbul and Associate Professor of Yeditepe University, explains the change as follows: 'That is why in Metanoia the shadow has nearly the same formal and conceptual importance as the protagonist of the scene.'
For Yasam dealing with our own inner darkness is the key to confronting the negative aspects of modern society: 'If we can manage to encounter our own shadow, I think we can deal with the shadow of our societies as well.'
The Strangers in Us, 3´17 min, direction and film editing: Alexia Fernandes, cinematography: Julien Menand, ©2015 BERLINARTPROJECTS.
