Light in the Horizon by Gulay Semercioglu

Turkish artist Gulay Semercioglu showed her work at the 21st edition of the Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival

Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah, the Cultural Affairs Department at the Sharjah Department of Culture has organized the 21st edition of the Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival (SIAF). The exhibition 'Light in the Horizon' was inaugurated by Sheikh Abdullah bin Salem Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, in the presence of Mohammed Al Qaseer, Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Farah Qassim Mohammed, Islamic Arts Festival Executive and the respected guests.The exhibition was on view at the Sharjah Art Museum until January 19, 2019.

Gulay Semercioglu draws her inspiration from her upbringing among a group of Anatolian carpet makers as she explains, "I have been knitting since I was 5 years old. All homes in Turkey have one sort of carpets that are rich with motifs. As a grown up, I played on these motifs."

The exhibited works at the Sharjah Art Museum are created by kilometres-long silver wire that rotates around screws placed on the wooden floor. The wire is then knitted layer by layer to give the viewer a visual language of bright and iridescent colours on the surface. The works are geometric and abstract at the same time.

Gulay Semercioglu presents her work to Sheikh Abdullah bin Salem Al Qasimi / Photo Â© Islamic Arts Magazine

Gulay Semercioglu, Light in the Horizon, installation view / Photo Â© Islamic Arts Magazine

Gulay Semercioglu, Light in the Horizon / Photo Â© Islamic Arts Magazine

Gulay Semercioglu, Light in the Horizon, detail / Photo Â© Islamic Arts Magazine

Gulay Semercioglu was born in Istanbul in 1968. She was educated as a painter, but her love for shiny materials led her to working with wires. The very first institutions that saw her work as a continuation and a contemporary interpretation of Islamic arts were Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and Istanbul Modern Museum.