x-ist takes place in Art Basel in Hong Kong 2013 between May 23-26, 2013 with the works of two Turkish artists, Nuri Kuzucan and Ceren Oykut, both of who focus on the city in their work. The established painter Nuri Kuzucan paints his impressions of the city concentrating on urban architecture, whereas Ceren Oykut, the drawer dissects and re-combines different elements and stories within the city in her giant works that resemble miniatures.
Nuri Kuzucan (1971) has previously produced works with a perspective that break the boundaries of man-made urban landscapes. Through his own images of the city, he reshaped our vision of the era he witnessed, the city and conceptual modernism to make it all more bearable for us. The questing layers and the reflections that stand out in his paintings, which examine the city, urbanization and modernism, were results of his desire to investigate the hidden story behind landscapes and the power the city contains. The storiessometimes play out the scene of the crime, congestion and demolition and attimes act as a justification for urban culture. In April 2013, Kuzucan opened his new solo show at Edouard Malingue Gallery (Hong Kong) which will continue until May 18th.
Ceren Oykut (1978), one of the most exquisite drawers in Turkey, brings together painting and cartoon in her work where she combines her personal memories with everyday scenes from Turkey (specifically Istanbul). These meticulously drawn black and white miniatures reflect her subconscious while reconstructing social events and contain symbols that refer to the urban life as well as the artist herself. Her work have been shown in many exhibitions in Turkey, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, France, Poland, Austria, Ireland, Belgium, Egypt including Lyon Biennale (2009), Istanbul Biennale (2007) and Venice Biennale (2009).