Elmas Deniz
∗1981, Bergama, Turkey
Turkish artist Elmas Deniz explores the idea of nature and how it has changed in various value systems throughout human history, and investigates inequalities, consumer culture and how capitalism has affected our relationship with nature for the worse. Through conceptual works that adopt various media, such as installation, video or sculpture, the artist draws attention to the ecological changes underway in the Anthropocene. In the videoAn Illusion of Encounter(2023), Deniz combines elements of experimental cinema and theatre to tell the story of species threatened with extinction at the hands of humankind due to global warming. The protagonists of the video are costumed characters playing animals and plants, such as The Beetle, the Cheliped-Man and The Council of Plants, proposing anon-anthropocentric vision of life on the planet. The three light boxes that make up Eluding Humans(2019), on show at Pontives, feature images captured by camera traps placed in the forest, used to study the habits of nocturnal wild animals. The images allow us to confront animals that usually stay away from humans, providing us with a vivid and immediate portrait of their wild nature, of which the elusiveness and mystery may be perceived.
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