I have recently been producing work that questions interpretations of history that are told through museum curation, considering how people see their place in the world with these narratives. Using the simple and beautiful dichotomy of porcelain and grogged terracotta I have been playing with metaphors and representation of the hierarchy of materials; of what is “pure” and what is “primitive”. Experimenting pinching and carving processes, I have taken accumulative and reductive approaches to explore the manifestation of ideas. Repair has become a part of my practice as a way to reclaim the discarded and mend the distressed, this piece incorporates kintsugi to bring light to each object’s past.

The assemblages are made up of collections of curious objects; handmade and found, encircling a fragmented figure. I find that using figurative elements provokes introspection, whether as the artist becoming immersed in the creation, or the viewer when taking in the sculpture.

The urban landscape is simultaneously dotted with traces of our presence in, and separation from nature. Orange hues that stream the exteriors of steel, to darkened stains on a wall suggesting the recurring passage of water, exist both as physical displays of an action and the progression of time.

Nadire Gokmens process led practice is motivated by the desire to physically capture these traces rather than mimic their appearance. Currently working predominantly in ceramics, Nadire also uses steel to collect and record these primary traces.