What We Refuse To See
Görmeyi Reddettiklerimiz
Ceren Yılmaz
(holygiggle)
This series unfolds through three interconnected works, tracing a transformation that begins with the body, expands into a collective condition, and culminates in the act of looking.
The first work focuses on the face, where delicate floral forms are embroidered using copper wire. These forms reference familiar expressions that associate women with beauty and fragility. While often perceived as harmless, such language operates as a subtle but persistent structure that shapes perception. Here, the flowers suggest a latent tension—a form of fire that has not yet been acknowledged.
The second work centers on a dress, constructed through fragmented materials and held together with copper wire. The surface is composed of collected news texts in which certain words—such as “woman,” “mother,” or place names—are obscured, while descriptions of violence remain visible. This gesture resists the anonymization of victims and emphasizes how violence is often both concealed and normalized through language. The dress becomes a representation of the social body, bearing the weight of repetition and systemic erasure.
The final work presents an eye. While multiple forms appear to turn away, only a single gaze remains fixed. Within this eye, a burning tree becomes visible—an image of a crisis that is both present and persistently overlooked. The work addresses the act of looking as a form of responsibility, questioning the conditions under which something becomes visible or remains ignored.
Together, these works move from the formation of meaning to its consequences. They reflect on how language, representation, and perception participate in shaping what is seen, what is hidden, and what is allowed to continue

FlowerFire
2020
Embroidery and acrylic on canvas
35 × 50 cm
A self-portrait tracing how language shapes perception, where seemingly harmless forms carry the first signs of violence.

What Was She Wearing?
2022
Embroidery, textile, wire, and mixed media installation on canvas
70 × 100 cm
Transforms embroidered news fragments into a suspended dress, exposing how language obscures identity while sustaining the visibility of violence.

Looking Away
2021
Embroidery and acrylic on canvas
35 × 25 cm
Centers on the act of looking away, where violence remains visible yet deliberately unacknowledged.

