Mamut Limited Vol.1 pop-up, the first exhibition of the Mamut Art Project team's Mamut Limited (Artist Editions) project, which aims to meet all creative people working in different fields and techniques from visual arts to design, music to fashion, took place at Yapı Kredi bomontiada between September 16 - October 1, 2023. We are introducing the artists of this year's Mamut Limited, which will present special selections throughout the year on its online platform mamutlimited.com. Our fifth guest is Ufuk Yılmaz
Ufuk Yılmaz
We can start by talking about your artistic journey. You studied Fine Arts at Uludağ University and Maria Curie-Sklodowska University. You have taught in the field of Visual Arts for many years. So, when did you start making your own art?
I have always loved painting and I have always been someone who tries to improve myself in this field, but I did not produce regularly in this field for many years. I spent my university years mainly in the field of photography and graphic design, doing both commercial and non-commercial works. After starting my master's degree in 2015, I can say that I started to produce my works, which can be considered the beginning of my work today, steadily.
Does your local culture and environment influence your artistic work? If yes, how? Do the materials and techniques you use in your art find an echo in this interaction network?
I can definitely say that it does. I think what we see shapes our imagination to a great extent, and I visualize my environment and the emotions it makes me feel, sometimes as it is and sometimes as I want it to be.
I am open to any kind of innovation that excites me in terms of materials and techniques. Whatever the outcome, I think that different experiences have positive effects in the long run.
I think what we see shapes our imagination to a great extent. I visualize my environment and the emotions it makes me feel, sometimes as it is and sometimes as I want it to be.
You mainly produce your works using traditional and digital techniques. At the same time, you continue your career in graphic design in Istanbul. How do you balance between art and graphic design?
I think the main distinction here is the intention with which the work is done. As a graphic design profession, I do uninterpreted works to solve a problem in line with the demands communicated to me. On the other hand, I produce things just to express myself. However, since both of my works have common principles of visual arts, I think they feed each other, especially in terms of techniques and production tools.
Ufuk Yılmaz, Serene Series, Fine Art Print, 20×20 cm, Edition of 5+1 of 40×40 cm Edition of 5+1
Architectural perception is at the forefront of your work. Using the universal forms of architecture, you look at man's relationship with nature. Are there any codes you have created for yourself in this field?
I often use angular and flat forms that do not belong to any culture, grids that symbolize digital production processes and order, and elements such as windows or balconies that allow us to establish a relationship with nature from the buildings, we are in.
The works that we saw at Mamut Limited that make up the Serene series are mixed media collages: watercolor, artificial intelligence, photography... Can we talk about your process of acquiring this practice? Have you been making collages this way since day one?
Although I started making collages with traditional techniques, it was not an area I worked on much. Over time, I created the Serene series by combining the places and textures I took from the photographs of the paintings I made with my digital drawings and the images I created with artificial intelligence.
Ufuk Yılmaz, Serene Series, Fine Art Print, 20×20 cm, Edition of 5+1 of 40×40 cm Edition of 5+1
Is there an implicit criticism of contemporary architecture in your work?
I don't prefer to evaluate my work as a criticism, I prefer to see it as a landscape painting most of the time. If I had lived two hundred years ago, I probably would have painted the landscape I saw when I looked around me, using the technology of the time, like the artists of that period. Today, however, we live in a much different and faster world in every way. I can say that what I see today or what I imagine based on what I see today, I paint today's landscapes using today's technologies. What has always been important for me has always been the emotional state and feelings that my work leaves when I watch it.
If I had lived two hundred years ago, I probably would have painted the landscape I saw when I looked around me, using the technology of the time, like the artists of that period.
For you, is producing a successful work about personal satisfaction or recognition from the art world? Why?
I believe that a balance should be struck in this regard, as in everything else in life. I think the two situations should be kept as separate as possible and should not affect the production process. I think the ideal scenario is, of course, to be satisfied with your work and to be appreciated by people whose opinions you value.