Asli Özok Artist Statement
Asli Özok is a Turkish-born, London-based artist whose practice navigates the complexities of the modern world, intertwining its darkness and beauty. Her work blends art history with contemporary societal developments, engaging deeply with themes such as war, consumerism, gender perceptions, and the shared state of humanity.
Conceptual Focus and Themes
Özok’s early “Barcode” series critiques society’s obsession with acquisition, disposal, and consumption—a motif that recurs in later works like “Fish Flocks” and “Hagia Sofia.” The “Hagia Sofia” series, inspired by her travels to Spain and New York, reflects on how commercial brands have become the new icons of modernity. This inquiry into icons continues in her “Iconos” series, which contemplates the evolving image of the Virgin Mary and the shifting representation of womanhood in contemporary life.
Her series “Democracy” employs the female form as a symbol of vulnerability and resilience in the face of violence and war, depicting naked flesh juxtaposed with the steel of tanks. In “Time,” Özok dissects humanity’s relentless drive to control time, while the “Garden of Armenia” works revisit the complex roles of women and the profound spiritual effects of the modern world. Here, Özok incorporates Twitter logos meticulously sewn with Swarovski beads, symbolizing the fleeting, interconnected nature of digital interaction.
Recent Directions and Mediums
In her most recent work, Özok explores surrealism, presenting her first sculptures alongside paintings. These pieces, conceived during the pandemic, evoke the uncanny and paranormal atmosphere that permeated global consciousness. The sculptures feature ethereal, myth-inspired creatures—amalgamations of human body parts that transcend gender, speaking instead to spiritual unity. This ethos is mirrored in her “Monochrome” painting series, which features black-and-white portraits that erase skin pigmentation, referencing the universal impact of the pandemic and the shared human experience it fostered, regardless of race, gender, wealth, or power.