@niduman | idilduman.com | Cherry wood and polished copper | Seat: 16”x17”x78,” Mirror: 26”x2”x14” |
This duo combines cherry wood and copper, both popular and traditional materials in Anatolia, and erects a “tree of life” motif from West and Central Asian motifs, made of an actual tree. These pieces are an attempt in finding strength and pride in one’s ancestral roots, and creating two objects of power: a throne and a mirror. The towering chair isn’t meant to be a provider of comfort, but rather a rigid body that grounds one to their feet. The mirror’s frame is a negative space version of the top of the tree motif, and it surrounds one’s reflection on the polished copper closely.
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Idil Duman (she/they), object designer and artist from Turkey, plays with mechanics of functionality and fluidity of sentiment in her work. Using her education and practice as a furniture designer and her personal research on Turkic nomadism, Duman experiments with adding and removing utility from objects, aiming to test the limits of user interaction and invoking collective emotion.
Crafting objects heavily loaded with queer and ethnographic undertones, Duman creates and portrays an experience between the inanimate body of the object and the living body of the audience.
5 Questions:
1. I did technically have a non-immigrant start to my journey to Chicago. I came here as an international student upon getting accepted to SAIC with a scholarship in 2018, and the situation in both my home country and the States have escalated in a way neither me or my family could foresee. Turkey did become exponentially more violently queer-phobic every year, elected oppositions officials started getting arrested like it’s nothing, and the middle class almost shrunk to non-existence due to insane inflation rates since 2018 until now. I know all places have their hardships, don’t get me wrong; but I felt a sense of safety in Chicago through the community I found here.
2. I’ve always been the independent oldest daughter of the family, but it doesn’t take away the guilt of missing out on being there for my younger siblings as they grew up. Most of my work references a place, an object, or a symbol from home; but the whole time I try to re-enact the feeling of togetherness with my mother and siblings when I was back in my hometown.
3. I thought I didn’t grow up in a traditional family until I became unable to leave the States due to my status change. I was left to be responsible for my own Nevruz, Eid, new years, Hidrellez traditions; and suddenly I was realizing how much of a privilege it was to have community elders pulling most of the emotional labor to make magic happen.
4. It’s Nevruz time as I type this, and as spring arrives, the smell of “cemre” (radiation of heat falling from sun to air) is what makes me feel home wherever I am. I remind myself that next year I want people who will jump over fire with me.
5. I find this question very tough to answer. Hope is a fleeting feeling these days. I don’t know how to dissect or control her; I just cherish her when she decides to say hi.
Butterfly Effect: Bridging Borders Exhibiting Artists
Aileen Nicole Castro • Akira – Light that Heals • Alejandra Lemus • Alex Covarrubias – Red Cave • Anna Silvonchik • Arte Duran • Bane.xxa • Christian Joshua Varela Solis • Cindy Uriostegui – Cattco • Cristina Marquez • Elena Diadenko • Elena Pach • EMNI • Gabriel Guzman • Grecia Solorio • Idil Duman • Isaac Galvan • Janis Appleton* • Javier Viñuela*• Kaltra • Kybo • Mariana Perez • Mary Antar • Pamela Rubi Trejo Soria • Peauxline • raqui • Riesling Dong • Rocio “Chio” Cabrera-Coz • Sailee Charlu • Shalala Salamzadeh • Sharvani Rathna Chittem* • Stef Skills • Victoria Park • *Group collaboration