State of Things - An interview with Ilke Cop
Channel: K.L.8 Exhibition Space
Date: 17/05/2021

For the exhibition State of Things, a solo by Ilke Cop, we went over to her place and asked a couple of questions about her work and the exhibition. Ilke takes us deeper into her universe and explains how her life and background influences her current paintings and artistic practice. 

——————

Ilke Cop's first solo show State of Things is presented in K.L.8., Jette (20-25 May 2021).

State of Things is conceived as an installation in situ. A triptych of large scale canvases, painted during the past three months, is combined with an installation work and a couple of smaller paintings, tailored to this exhibition.

The title of the show has a double meaning: on the one hand it refers to an intermediate assessment Ilke Cop makes of her own artistic process, of which the dynamic was intensified by the persistent COVID-pandemic. Secondly, the title references the way in which the artist studies her own visual language.
By constantly exchanging and varying images, Cop investigates how new images are born.

Vibrant colors and meandering landscapes lure the viewer into Cop's world. It's a world where the relationships and structures that control our reality are heavily questioned. The images are rich with references to art history, well known places and loaded symbols. They allow the viewer to form a very personal relationship with the art works. The mental space is visualised through the use of Pre- Renaissance perspective, the inversion of the visual hierarchy and the adoption of diverse media to transform the physical space.

Textile is an important component of the installation, undoubtedly influenced by the artist's background in fashion. The fabrics refer to the decorative function that is often assigned to women, even in today's world.
The artist contrasts this limited vision of womanhood with the great attention to technique she applies to the art works and the conceptualisation of the show. She forces her person and her artistic process to take center stage : a clear attempt to break through the patriarchal structure.

The visitor meets the image of the female, but also the image of the artist. Her craft and physicality are palpable and so the viewer is invited to contemplate her face and body parts. These objects are all at once subjects and vice versa: the muse and the creator. Ilke Cop returns the surveying gaze and establishes the role of the female maker in all its vulnerability and long subdued strength.

About the artist
Ilke Cop (° 1988) lives and works in Brussels, Belgium. In 2010 she graduated as a master in the history of art, and the core of her ideas and vision took root. She runs a lauded and sustainable fashion brand (ILKECOP). By the end of 2018 she started her art practice. She is a member of the new writers collective for women Hyster-x.
In her work, Cop embraces both traditional oil painting  techniques and art history to form a new visual language, rich with conceptual layers. The question on the position of ‘the female’ is always at the core of her practice.

https://www.ilkecop.com/painting