“untitled (master pages)” proceeds from the concept of guide pages found in programs used for book design. These pages are templates (stencils) that determine the layout of all kinds of textual and visual content within a book design. Various changes made on the guide pages are directly applied to all other pages of the book. Just like the pages we read in a book, guide pages are also symmetrical. On the other hand, despite having a very important function in the design of a book, these pages are actually never seen by the reader. During the design phase, they are merely a guide temporarily consulted by the designer to organize the book’s content. From a designer’s perspective, a blank set of guide pages contains all potential compositions.
The work “untitled (master pages)” examines the relationship between void and fullness, taking as its starting point the guide pages, which are of fundamental importance in book design. The pattern in these diptych-formatted paintings consists of images used to represent blank spaces—that is, areas in digital interfaces where no visual data is present. “untitled (master pages)” maps these patterns, which are used to represent void in the digital environment, onto the painting. In this respect, it contemplates the presence of void in the pictorial space. Just like these patterns composed of light and dark grays in the digital medium, every image presented to represent void in these paintings is itself a form of fullness. Furthermore, the space between the two canvases, which are brought together on the floor and leaned against the wall, adds another layer to the installation within the context of the void and fullness relationship.
The work was first presented at the Yapıt Kitap exhibition, at Hayy Açık Alan, upon the invitation of designer Umut Altıntaş.
