Meryem Doğan

Hello Meryem Hanım, could you please tell us a bit about yourself? How did your interest in art begin?

Art is a kind of innate drive that seizes a human being and makes him its instrument, says Jung and continues as follows: "The artist is not a person endowed with free will who seeks his own ends, but one who allows art to realize its purpose through him." My artistic journey/process is in accordance with this definition. My sentimental/delicate being led me to an isolated life and hence concentrating my energy in thought. Existential issues have always occupied/reserved a place within me. I've owned a mind that asks questions and seeks for the answers. The questioning part of my mind provided the right questions as well as an inner voice, seeking for the truth and the essence, for the seeking part of my mind. My personal journey of searching for myself led me into a process of self-discipline and self-learning; a journey based on reading and observation. Within my mind's competence, I have gained insights, from various disciplines including mythology, theology, philosophy, literature, science, and art. On top of everything, I cannot deny the insight I have gained from cinema.

-What inspires you when creating your works? What ideas or emotions support your creative process?

The sacred journey of humanity, the path, and the astonishment and fierceness on this path deeply affect me. As I comprehend the change and transformation of mankind through the ages, my mind seeks answers and creates syntheses to make life easier, allowing me to depict what I want to convey.

-Lastly, as an artist, what art movements or artists nourish you?

Both all and none, because I encountered sculpture late. The unconscious brings humanity together in common symbols. Seeing and feeling this encounter in my depictions belongs to the art lover.