Labor of Her Hands,
Light of Her Eyes


Conceived as an artists’ book, Labor of Her Hands, Light of Her Eyes has taken shape as an exhibition in the evocative setting of Eldem Art Space Dalyancı Mansion. The exhibition leads the visitor on a journey, starting from the site of the find and continuing with an exploration of the found objects and how they can speak to us, with or without words. The book, published with the support of SAHA Sustainability Fund, is released in conjunction with the exhibition opening.

The project is about the discomfort we witness in the heavy, rough concrete crushing the delicate fabrics of lovingly crafted items. With a book, it aims to describe how the handcrafts, which were produced with skill, grace, and devotion that lasted for hours, were suddenly, violently, buried in rubble by construction machinery. It deals with the interaction of traditional and contemporary life, especially the status of handmade goods in a globalized, mass-produced and increasingly disposable material culture.



“Labor of Her Hands, Light of Her Eyes” by Maury Vaughan Melike Taşcıoğlu Vaughan
Eldem Art Space, Eskişehir, 18 November 2023 - 21 April 2024. The exhibition and book in Turkish and English. 17,5 × 24 cm, 160 pages, ISBN 978-605-82087-3-5. Produced in a limited edition of 220




Daire


The idea for Daire germinated during lockdown. Becoming obsessed with cleanliness, I purchased a steam cleaner and found myself looking at the egdes, corners and deeper dimensions of the walls and floor in my apartment. The cleaning frenzy turned into a very disciplined investigation of new landscapes in the living space, and the observation of man-made borders. The story ended with a novel abstract proposition of personal space to replace the concretely-defined readymade.


“Daire” by Melike Taşcıoğlu, 2020, 15 × 21 cm, 80 pages. Book is designed as a part of the exhibition “Daire” in Are Projects, Antalya, 27 June-27 July 2020.


The Sistematic Investigation of Matter and Existence


The exploration of life has been a subject of science. Inspired by the diagrams and schemas, the formulas, mathematics and complex explanations, these series of works under the title Systematic Investigation of Matter and Existence use the aesthetics of these formulas and graphics, while exploring life and matter in its own artistic approach. 
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10 works, each 68×98 cm. signed and numbered, edition of 70, offset lithography on paper, 2015.

Sudan Seyyareler (Aquaspheres)


The Aquaspheres series have an innovative approach that alteres traditional ebrû technique and combines it with digital printing.  On the third exhibition of the continuing H2O series, “Aquaspheres” opened in Gallery İlayda Karaköy, İstanbul urban plans are used the basis on the majority of the works.
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20 works each 15×15 cm. composed in a piece, black and white digital print and ebrû on paper, 2012.



D-10


D-10 is a single work, using space of creation as the starting point and questioning the term home. This work was created on a lithography stone that was coded D-10. 

D-10, 35×50 cm. lithography on paper, edition of 10, 2013.


The Frontal and Side View of Life


A simple quantum landscape. Using a rather technical graphic language, it explores beyond what we see with our eyes to portray a field.

Hayatın Önden ve Yandan Görünüşü, 15×21 cm. woodcut on paper, edition of 100, 2012.


H2O


The H2O series have an approach that alteres traditional ebrû imagery by using a traditional method to create abstract and contemporary look. Here, “the moment of creation” is explored. The water as the main medium is used to create and capture the ink. Ink on water is applied to paper several times and on top of digital prints to enhance the “experiment” feel. Every piece of work is unique and only few are exhibited after a careful selection among hundreds of works.  

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Untitled, 35×50 cm. black and white digital print and ebrû on paper, 2010. 



Layout Plan (Vaziyet Planı)


This work takes a closer look at the prejudice of the layers of thought, the areas of perception, the melancholy of internal conflicts, which we actually know from someplace we don't see, but still are familiar of. An abstract cross-section of the situation and location is witnessed. Starting from the rich aesthetics of the lines in the layout plans drawn from the bird's eye view, the inner-eye view of the mind and perception is viewed almost like through a microscope.


Vaziyet Planı, 170×90 cm. black and white digital print on paper, 2011.