Sevda Semer

Figures - Part I

Figures is a ten year project started in late 2017. Can the title of a painting be used as a door to enter the work, or to enter a meditative state where viewing the work is more direct? In this project, each of the large paintings on textile comes with an audio file to be listened to on headphones while sitting on a bench in front of the work. In the file which is usually 10 or 15 minutes long, the artist is walking around and saying the title of the work out loud. In this way, an exhibition of 4 works takes about an hour to be fully experienced.

series of paintings on textile and text - audio files to be listened in front of them as titles
exhibition at Credo Bonum Gallery, Sofia, February 28 - March 24, 2019
curator Daniela Radeva

The artist is articulating bodily sensations. Thoughts that are circulating in each one of us but are rarely paid attention or else, we are unable to voice them out.
So, the body is the hidden theme of the show. […] The contact between the works of Sevda Semer and the viewer is almost tactile in substance – like an embrace. The large formats and the sound of the text with specific duration do not let you pass by quickly. In spite of the use of abstract imagery, in this exhibition the artist is engaging her ability to share. When somebody is reading to you it is different from when you are reading yourself – the level of attention is higher. And attention is expressed first as a physical presence for a period of time and then in the exchange of information.
text Daniela Radeva