Failure of communication is the theme of the Access Gallery’s newest exhibit, Far Away So Close Part One. Six emerging Canadian artists will be featured in the exhibit including Erdem Taşdelen, whose piece The Conduit explores the subjective nature of meaning in handwriting analysis.
Photo courtesy of the artist
The exhibit aims to explore the way that meaning is interpreted and translated. Kimberly Phillips, the gallery’s curator, says she was interested in dealing with issues on distance, intimate relationships and communication. Phillips presents the desire to communicate as a “quixotic gesture” where one is bound to try but ultimately fails.
Examining handwriting
To create The Conduit, Taşdelen found two professional graphologists online, one in Toronto and one in Cambridge, UK. Taşdelen conducted an experiment where he sent both graphologists a sample of his handwriting, and then requested they send their report back to him in their own handwriting. Subsequently, Taşdelen sent each report to the other graphologist to be analyzed.
“The analysis turns on itself,” says Taşdelen, who calls the process a meta-analysis.
Through this process, the graphologists are put in a contrary position where they are being analyzed instead.
Phillips points out Taşdelen’s work relates to the theme of failed communication because it explores how personality can be interpreted based on a single factor, in this case, handwriting.
Taşdelen says he had an idea of what may happen with the project, but he accepted the possibility of failure.
“It’s fine because it’s an art project, and I can see what kinds of unexpected things can come from it,” says Taşdelen.
Erdem Tasdelem, The Conduit, Handwriting samples and analysis reports in vitrine (21 sheets) 269x78x95 cm (106 x 31 x 37.5 in.), 2013 | Photo courtesy of the artist
He explained his piece emphasized the physical form of language and words, instead of just the verbal aspect.
The project is 21-pages of handwritten reports, now on display for Far Away So Close, and it is a work meant to be read. However, he doesn’t expect gallery visitors to read all of it though.
“I’m ok with whatever people take away from it,” says Taşdelen. “We can treat the gallery as a space for reading, and it’s not just about the visual experience.”
Self presentation
When asked about the theme behind his works, Taşdelen explained he was interested in how people define themselves, and how different cultures encourage individuals to present themselves to the world.
“Most people have an image of themselves that they present, and everyone puts on roles all the time,” says Taşdelen, who was always conscious of how he was perceived by others.
Taşdelen’s father was a diplomat and growing up the family moved around frequently. As a result, he has lived in Switzerland, Germany and Turkey. Six years ago, he moved to Vancouver in order to earn his master’s degree from Emily Carr University.
“Every time I moved, I had to perform a different self,” says Taşdelen, who is Turkish.
According to Taşdelen, he has never lived in the same place for more than six or seven years. So every time he moved, he had the opportunity to create a new self again. His ideas about performing the self are the residue of his frequent moving experiences, and this in turn has influenced some of his work.
Currently, Taşdelen is in Istanbul for a solo art show featuring his work on left-handedness. In addition to creating art, he also teaches at Emily Carr University.
Far Away So Close Part One will be open until Nov. 1 at the Access Gallery. Part two of the exhibit focuses on the desire to engage in politics and the inability to be heard. Part three is about the desire to connect with the natural world and ultimately feeling distanced.
For more information, please visit www.accessgallery.ca/current.
