18 MAYIS – 12 HAZİRAN 2013
In all of her studies from the beginning up today, circle has a special place in the studies of Eti Behar and she is giving place to the ellipse as an establishing element or to various cylinder forms or to large plates in her studies and these forms position themselves to the emptiness of the spaces as they set forth an increasing relationality with the diversified possibilities of the form. This relationality has a kind of “transitivity” meaning as Bourriaud mentioned. Artist tears the variations of the circle form and the circle into pieces which is identified with her and then she produces new relationalities over this transitivity by way of small surface moves.
Behar’s space-time transitivity shows its face over circular forms and appears as a fact that is processed on the body in reality. This context relation starting with the body existence on the circular forms and especially with the intuition of the woman body makes a reference to a reality established on an interface where the body transforms actually via the circles, spheroid structures and ellipses. Although this interface is not a space established absolutely on a body existence; it is positioned as a space feeling coded towards the senses of the body. Here, the space in question is not he body itself however it creates a reference corresponding the analytics of the senses owned by the body as a phenomenological being.
Behar does not incline towards quite sharp divisions between the relievos she made with three- dimensional forms on the two-dimensional planes or with her canvas paintings. She is showing us the possibilities of image language through taking and considering it within the infinite variations by creating little elevations, loops and textures on the surfaces and she is showing us how much it can be diversified and differentiated. .
The constructive elements such as the form, emptiness of the space and balance taking their places in the three-dimensional and two-dimensional studies move ahead of the color. Searches for abstract-geometric forms open an application area where the new forms are transformed into interrupted movement or where the absolute geometric forms such as circle comes loose. Behar opens up to an area where the plain geometric shapes close to modern sculpture art’s minimal line, where the form and material are simplified and purified as much as possible with their broken, shredded, conglomerated one on the top of another or detached or side by side shapes. Artist relates the positioning of these forms, their shear of the plane, their intertwinement and reproductions with the concept of temporality. The space is not only a carrier of the form in the constructions of Behar; however it is engaging to the construction with its relationality that it enters with the carrier surface of the message as much as the context it is carrying…
Where the less is much and plenty; a few materials enable all kinds of variety and then head towards an entirety which is dealt with in different dimensions and in different textures. These geometric elements which represent rough surfaces and smooth surfaces manipulate their relations with the ground through different elevation codes and stands on the edge of a plain thinking…
Eti Behar is on the edge of a plain thinking …
This plainness handled by her with a minimalist approach and the diversity in her sculptures and paintings with the possible minimum materials and colors evolves into a conceptual understanding with a fluid transitivity. Artist researches the pieces that complement each other, that transforms into each other, the divided, smooth and textured surfaces by bringing them side by side and researches about their opposite effects on the fringe of her geometric abstract art understanding.
The “On the Edge”exhibition is a call for determination of the meta aesthetics and its distance. As a reaction to the temporary and to the fast consumption which increases everything but also emptying their inside; Behar is definitely on the edge.
On the edge… As Roland Barthes defines it as “l’empire des signes (empire of the signs)” today’s culture industry transforms everything into signs and in such a place this is an opposing stand against this.
Eti Behar throws away and reduces all kinds of excess against the signs, pop icons, pop culture’s fancy-schmancy charm and answers with a dignified stillness by being plain as much as possible.
Lütfiye Bozdağ
