Sum of Us (Detail)
Screenprint, acrylic paint, embroidery floss, glass beads, sequins, thread, yarn crochet on found bedsheet
20”x30”
2022

Between you and I

Work by Hale Ekinci

Exhibition Dates: December 3rd - 25th, 2022

Opening Reception: Saturday, December 3rd, 4 - 7 PM

In Turkish, the words for "you" (sen) and "I" (ben) share common letters, and there are no gendered pronouns. Everything in the natural world is "o" in the third person, and you and I overlap intimately. This imprecise language, along with double-meaning words and absurd sayings, leaves room for playful interpretation/misinterpretation of the world. How we mutually understand each other are contextualized by the cultures we belong to and the languages (both verbal and visual) we share. Through these linguistic sentiments, in Between you and I, artist Hale Ekinci explores the intersection between "you", "I”, and "it": the immigrant, the Western, the Eastern, the woman, the lover, the human, the other, the plant, the tongue. The works investigate expressions of intimacy and ambiguous readings of closeness.

Accurate translation is impossible, communication is complex, and "you" and "I" are too apart; negotiating these with humor, the artist yearns for the shared letters of ben, sen.

Hale Ekinci is a multidisciplinary Turkish artist based in Chicago. She is currently an Associate Professor of Art & Design at North Central College. Focusing on personal history, hybrid identity, gender politics, and craft traditions, her works vary from videos to embroidery paintings embellished with vibrant colors, patterns, and cultural relics.