Oberonya is a scene-space that the artist constructed by settling in a place for forty days in Hara. It consists of photographs taken during a fortyfive-day cyclical road trip from Michigan to the Pacific Ocean in the United States in 2022. These photos address human intervention within the vast natural landscape.
Yıldıran attempts her first installation on this scale, creating large-scale structures that emerge from the assembly of small pieces, allowing for the physicality of paper and permitting it to take on its own form. The prints for the installation are all produced at Hara, and the bamboo sticks supporting the prints are sourced from Hara's garden. The artist, with her own resources, constructs the art space within the natural environment as a new scene-space.
“Oberonya reflects my own internal journey and search for roots. Through my explorations, I examine the relationship between the transient and the permanent, investigating themes of migration and belonging within the intersection of nature and human intervention. The vast landscapes echo my inner world and the experiences I undergo in this process. Each piece gains meaning as part of both my personal journey and a larger whole.”
From the earliest photographs of Cansu Yıldıran, the themes of "escape" and "search for home" have persisted, and this time they emerge as a "phantom land" constructed through "photographic sculptures." It is a land that all of us can visit and be a part of, both nonexistent and possible.
One of Cansu Yıldıran's most profound strengths is undoubtedly creating a new home, then recreating it, until that safe space is established not only for themself but also for the community to which they belongs. In Oberonya, the transformation of paper fragments into massive and magnificent sculptural forms underscores the importance of collaboration, solidarity, and organizational practices on the path to this "phantom land."
— Seçil Epik, Arganotlar, 2024
