Lot 14: - Seyhun Topuz , B. 1942 Red VI fiberglass

fiberglass

measurements note 114 by 125 by 110cm.; 45 7/8 by 49 1/4 by 43 1/4 in.

Istanbul, Santralistanbul, Modern and Beyond: 1950-2000, 2007-08, p. 252, illustrated in colour

Exhibition Catalogue, Istanbul, Istanbul Modern, Memory and Scale: 15 Artists of Modern Turkish Sculpture, 2006, pp. 204-205, illustration of another example from the series in colour
Exhibition Catalogue, Istanbul, Istanbul Modern, Modern Experiences: 2007-2008 Permanent Exhibition, 2007, p. 323, illustration of another example from the series in colour
Ipek Duben and Esra Yildiz, Eds., Seksenlerde Turkiye'de Cagdas Sanat: Yeni Açilimlar, Istanbul 2008, p. 299, illustration of another example from the series in colour

Executed in 1989, this work is unique.
Seyhun Topuz is one of Turkey's most exceptional sculptors. Heavily influenced by the Constructivist movement of the mid-twentieth century, and Noam Gabo in particular, her work is an intentional defiance of mass and a sensitive manipulation of space and volume. Topuz's works are a harmonious balance of design and construct, elegance and presence. In Red VI her skill is implicit in a design which effortlessly evokes an awareness of the material itself, the space in which it exists and that which exists within it. The vortex of Red VI is an excellent example of this evocation, the sculpture embraces space, encircling it and enriched by it. At no point does the rigid outline obstruct this space or that surrounding it. There is a patent accord between the tangible and the intangible: that which is present and which is absent coalesce to form a supra-structure. Although static, the coiling arms of Red VI appear to be in constant movement, this added aspect is the fourth dimension of time, so elusive to many and another achievement of the sculptor that sets Topuz apart. Her skill in implying movement in that which is immobile is quite extraordinary. There is a sense of Red VI emerging and contracting, both in movement and in stasis, incorporating dimensions which are perceptible and imperceptible. The momentum leads the eye deeper within the sculpture, journeying through and around it, and intrinsic to this is the passage of time. This is the artist's successful realization of a sculpture within its environment. Red VI is arguably one of Seyhun Topuz's most successful standing sculptures, and is an outstanding example of her talent.