MURAT MOROVA
THE BIRD DIES, REMEMBER THE FLIGHT
NOVEMBER 1 – 30, 2024
Murat Morova's solo show, The Bird Dies, Remember the Flight takes place at Galeri Nev Istanbul between November 1-30, 2024. Taking its title from the lines of Iranian poet Füruğ Ferruhzad, one of the most important poets of the 20th century, the exhibition adopts a more poetic, expressionist and gestural method of expression than Morova's previous exhibitions and works. In this context, the works open up to the common values, oral traditions and anonymized visual references of the geography we live in by combining symbols from the artist's visual iconography with brand new fictions, textures and colors.
Morova's works emphasize the world of emotion, human values, world order, the fragility of life and the importance of being in the 'moment', while drawing attention to the sociocultural fabric and memory of the geography we live in. In line with the theme of the exhibition, the artist emphasizes transience, transparency and poetry in his choice of materials. Working primarily in watercolor on handmade papers with conceptual and technical integrity, the production process embraces an intense relationship with water, resulting in a more fluid approach that allows for serendipitous occurrences. The idea that “Water has a memory”, which has recently been put forward by some scientists, multiplies the references to the structure and meaning of water here, and helps us to remember the power of this molecule throughout history, both in its healing and destructive aspects. By allowing the sensitivity of the moment to guide his hand, Morova creates space for experimentation; at times, he submerges and dismantles his own scenes and narratives, reflecting how water renews and conceals. This process enables figures and symbols from the past to flow into his compositions, infusing them with the essence of water’s transformative power.
Another important point of the exhibition is that this time the artist constructs his narrative from the most delicate and natural source of his geography, the oral traditions and anonymized visual culture of Central Asia and the Middle East. With folk literature genres such as bozlaks, folk songs and laments, as well as the influence of Alevi-Bektashi sayings from the Caucasus to the Middle East, from Iran to the Balkans, the works touch upon the various sources of this geography in both an indirect and visually tangible way. In this context, the artist embraces the textures, colors and effects of anonymous productions such as under-glass paintings, tapestries and tiles, revealing this cultural memory with a poetic sensibility and opening it to the viewer's interpretation. While intertextuality and intersemiosis take center stage, various artistic languages—such as calligraphy, marbling, tile work, illumination, and collage—merge to embed the artist's subtle clues within ambiguous narratives. These gestural, fragmentary narratives often compel the viewer to think, much like a Parajanov film that blends religious rituals, iconography, and mythology with fragmented storytelling, while the spaces within the narrative create extended sequences, inviting deep thought and contemplation.
*Galeri Nev İstanbul can be visited between 11.00-18.30 from Tuesday to Friday and between 12 pm -6.30 pm on Saturdays.
