SERVER DEMIRTAŞ

Dear Friends,

Evoking emotions and sparking conversations is a principle element of Turkish artist Server Demirtaş’s dramatic creations. His Desiring-Machines collection intrigues with smooth, humanlike movements that contrast with stark robotic appearances.

Demirtaş’s compelling collection includes Desiring Machine, a mechanical sculpture featuring a small child standing on a pedestal in a restless stance with folded arms across its chest slowly hitting the wall behind with its back, over and over again. The performance powerfully encapsulates childhood uncertainty and frustration, striking a visual balance between the lifelike features captured in the child’s face and the actions performed by the unconcealed mechanics of this 150-centimetre-tall (five-foot-tall) piece. 

Another impressive artwork is Contemplating Woman’s Machine II, standing nearly the same height but imparting a different emotion: this animation features a poised woman with her head resting on her knees and her arms wrapped around her legs as if she were deep in thought.   

A closer look at each piece reveals the artistic contrast of the anthropomorphic structure woven with wires and cables atop the precision mechanics powering the moving sculpture. Combining engineering skills with his imagination, Demirtaş's talent lies in designing and handcrafting the components and mechanisms that power the mechanical sculptures while their motions tell his engaging stories.

At the heart of every mechanical sculpture is a set of Plexiglas wheels or cogs connected via cables and wires, which execute the synchronized movements. Each Desiring-Machine is unique, requiring two to six months to complete. 

While movement and mechanics play an essential role in Demirtaş’s art, his sculptures are not about mechanics or intricacies of production; they are about interconnectivity: body, movement, and emotion. “One can easily achieve competence in re-creating human actions mechanically, but the real difficulty is in using mechanics to relate to the senses,” the artist explains. 

Stop by our Geneva gallery to view the moving performances of all five Desiring-Machines by Server Demirtaş to draw your own conclusions. In case Geneva isn’t in your travel plans, stay in touch with the latest happenings at the MB&F M.A.D.Gallery online and via our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts (@mbfmadgallery).