Müge Yilmaz invites us to understand nature as its own thinking, acting being, and to join her in installations and rituals for protection. Yilmaz’s sculptures and performances draw on myriad ancient references read through feminist lenses, ranging from hieroglyphics from Neolithic Anatolia and hamsas, or Hands of Fatima, amulets; to traditional tattoos, made from ash mixed with a mother’s milk made for a new daughter. Her sculptures appear like painted shadows of gods, animals, and gestures frozen in time against a temple or cave wall. Here, Yilmaz realises The Adventures of Umay Ixa Kayakızı (2022). The installation is the library and life’s work of Umay, a retired astronaut. In Umay’s secret studiolo on an island ship, she has dedicated her life to reading and writing feminist science fiction – rare works written by women under their own names, as well as under male pseudonyms. Hand-carved by Umay, the totemic sculptures painted in vibrant blues and greens become the shelves that house her library, artefacts, and memorabilia – all the astronaut’s own grandchildren. The figures feature the heads of animals, hands holding powerful glyphs, and animating eyes that stare back and address the viewer.
Melanie Kress
