A State of Acceptance
A joint exhibition by Kalliopi Lemos & Nancy Atakan
Curated by Billur Tansel
Gazelli Art House
Baku, Azerbaijan
23.11.2023 – 10.02.2024
Gazelli Art House in Baku is delighted to announce the exhibition “A State Of Acceptance” by
Kalliopi Lemos and Nancy Atakan.
Kalliopi Lemos is a London based Greek sculptor, painter and installation artist and Nancy Atakan while born in the USA, has lived and worked in Turkey since 1969 as an artist, teacher, art historian and critic.
The exhibition, curated by Billur Tansel, will be on view between the dates of 24 November 2023 and 10 February 2024 at the Gazelli Art House in Baku.
Starting with a poem by the Persian poet Rumi entitled “The Guest House”, in this exhibition the artists share their acquired and inherited wisdom by referencing their lived experiences pertaining to birth, love, friendship and marriage.
In his poem, dating back to the 13th Century, Rumi says that every day we have an unexpected visitor – A joy, a depression, a meanness and brings with it an awareness. He says; be grateful for whatever comes because it has been sent for a reason/ as a guide from beyond. Acceptance encompasses undergoing hardships, rebellion and change through life. As one gets older however the understanding that accepting things as they are softens worries and appeases concerns in our minds. With a state of acceptance the human suffering diminishes or ceases.
Human experiences deserve to be recognized. Initial attempts for this quest could be traced back to Ancient Eastern and Western philosophy. Starting with Aurelius and Epictetus, modern and contemporary western thinkers such as Kierkegaard have debated this topic.
Psychologists suggest an amelioration for the human condition and suffering; existential theorists such as Carl Rogers are credited with elaborating acceptance as a mechanism of self-actualization. In this exhibition, the notion and value of accepting themselves and others as they are has been given great importance.
Realizing memories to be valuable when striving towards a state of acceptance, the artists share recollections from their personal lives, what is dear and sacred to them; they want to pass on and offer an understanding they have gained throughout their lifetimes to benefit younger generations and to encourage dialogue and interaction with the followers: A very valuable gift.
The two artists are gifted story-tellers who combine words and images to create an otherwordly and yet bonding experience. Every artwork that falls back on past memories has a story to tell, a piece of family history that brings together different generations’ lives, loves, experiences in tales of wisdom.
One of the centerpieces of the exhibition, a film of a performance they have realized together entitled “Necklace of Time”, stresses the superficiality of the materialistic adornment that might be desired in youth and underlines that as one matures, inherited values, principles, ethics and memories gain more importance.
In their own words: “As women and artists, we wanted to give a voice to the unexplored experiences and feelings of women, shared with love, poetry and beauty to create a rich, multidimensional exhibition.” – Nancy Atakan and Kalliopi Lemos
The Show encompasses works made with a variety of materials from video, sculpture, installation to painting. Some of the works were made by the artists in cooperation and some separately but still in dialogue with each other. A compelling and inspiring journey through personal yet universal territory awaits the viewers.
