Press
Interview at Harris & Erel
i. Who is Seçil Erel?
Hello from my studio in London. I am Seçil Erel, the cofounder of Harris and Erel, curator and contributing artist.
I was born, raised, studied and became an established artist in Istanbul.
My passion and curiosity made me very successful in the art industry while living in Istanbul but at the same time brought curiosity and questions. I felt I needed more global experience to reach my potential. After many successful experiences I decided to leave my comfort zone to discover new environments and people and to learn more. I have been involved in a lot of projects Such as artist residencies, exhibitions, symposiums various contries and moved to London in 2017 to continue my art and life experiences.
In my life and professional journey I dedicate myself to art and creativity and supporting artist and collector communities, art lovers, audiences.
ii. Seçil's background: How has your background/past affected your artistic style today?
After I studied maths and science in high school, I studied art in MSUGSF.
During my degree and master degree I studied Classical European Painting /Art while I was living a mixed Eastern and Western culture.
I love having this background because it helps me to understand today's contemporary look to art, and life in today's world. This background makes me aware about my character and how can I blend different things to create or say something special, and different.
For me art has to be functional, accessible, and sustainable to reach people. For that reason I love to find alternative ways to connect people's hearts with my art.
iii. Your journey to who you are as an artist today. Your opinion on your vision, additional understandings/comments/inspirations towards it.
I am heavily inspired by mathematics, architecture, nature and philosophy, culture, heritage.
I’m interested in beyond the visible, unknown and mysticism. I can say for me Art and science are contemporary language of mysticism.
I observe and experience the universal language of today’s life with knowledge and open myself to see the world limitless possibilities. then I transform, translate, distort, modify, create, recomposed those aspects in my work.
My creations are based on modular, layered, colourful abstract paintings and from time to time geometry.
All of my paintings are connected to each other and they are all a part of the whole. My colourful modular works represent transformation, looking to life with unlimited possibilities for the future.
I craft my paintings with harmony, metronomic repetition, movement, colour and light.
In each piece I aim to incorporate physical, mental, emotional and spiritual integrity into all my work.
iv. Your artistic process: Why do you use the mediums you use today, what draws you to them? How do you go about the first idea to the final piece?
I played with different techniques in years. My main medium is colour applied with oil on canvas as you can see in the featured work Clarity. I use lines and stain/blemish on my surfaces to express the my energy, my time, at that moments on the surface with texture, and colours, and sometimes geometry between my layers. I visualise my works before I start by creating various sketches then I continue to paint the main work.
v. The print: Any info we must know about the print? What was in your mind as you created it? What is the meaning behind the work.
I made Clarity in 2018 in London as an oil on canvas painting while I was preparing my solo show inA Separate Reality Istanbul Gallery Milli Reasurans .
At that period Lotus Flower is become a symbol of my journey, to new beginning, to new life.
After I moved to London as a single mother my life changed and this gave me the chance to discover more about myself from different perspectives. That was a big transformation and chance in my life. My Eastern ancestors and my background from Istanbul brings lots of new meaning to my life while I was living in Western culture.
My space, language, responsibilities changed in a physical reality but I was thinking this is not enough. I need to change my spiritual self, heal my soul to reach my potential.
Lotus flower give me love, light, strength, lift me up to trust, have new roots.
I thought it as a beautiful metaphor for our life, change, reset, rethink, to be pure and connected more with the Universe.
I’m inspired by lotus flower as they represent clarity and beauty often appearing from pools of muddy water. Lotus flower is as a symbol of purity, enlightenment, self-regeneration and rebirth. Its characteristics are a perfect analogy for the human condition: even when its roots are in the dirtiest waters, the Lotus produces the most beautiful flower.
Clarity is the crystallisation of my acceptance, of what it is, how it is and why it is, with ‘all that there is’ infused with my surrender in the flow things.
vi. Goodbye: This is the only part where we'd like you to market the work. Inform the audience about the availability of this Limited Edition print on H&E art, the sizes.
I am so pleased to be able a cofounder of Harris & Erel Art online gallery to bring art from all around the world to you and your own space . Now I offer to this pure but at the same time strong clear energy of flower from my hand to you via Harris and Erel Art . 3 different sizes of hand finished Giccle Limited Editions will be available just before UK Mother’s day. My hope is to give inspiration bring courage, passion, clarity and new look and colour to your life.
