ROOTS

I have been living in the Gökova Bay for 20 years. This geography is not just a place for me; it is an area where I have put down roots, transformed, and taken responsibility.

My garden, the relationship I have built with the land and water I believe I own, has led me to question the concept of ownership. I have reconsidered the way humans position themselves at the center, among trees rooted in the soil, immobile plants, and migratory creatures. Humans often turn their connection with nature into a power relationship; in my paintings, I reverse this hierarchy.

Human figures dwarfed by vast root systems, large animals, and dense vegetation... Humans are often supporting characters. The main characters are the networks of life above and below the soil. Roots represent belonging, attachment, and the possibility of being uprooted.

I work as a professional fisherman with my family. While I earn my living from this land and water, I also know that I am part of this ecosystem. My artistic practice is a way of putting down roots and coming to terms with them, economically, ethically, and existentially.