Onur Mansız, 1986

Born in 1986 in İstanbul, Onur Mansız now lives and works in Madrid. He completed his bachelor’s degree at the Department of Painting at the Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts, followed by a graduate degree at the University of Vigo, Faculty of Fine Arts, in Spain, in 2015.

The human body is a key element in Mansız’s work, as well as a hyperrealistic approach to representation. The artist superimposes images on the nude bodies of young models portrayed against monochrome backgrounds. Hosting another’s face or other images borrowed from nature, the bodies turn into disidentified elements. The traces of light liberate the concept of nudity and the human body from erotic and pornographic associations, highlighting them instead as tangible entities that host colors and patterns. The figures assume a multilayered depth with these images that are reflected on the canvas. Furthermore, with the headiness of hyperrealist depiction, they invite the viewer to question the very concepts of subject and object.

A young woman standing and stretching her head back occupies the foreground of “Open Your Eyes.” Despite this position, her direct glance toward the viewer makes it easy to establish a connection, one that is further strengthened by the artist’s hyperrealist depiction. Thorny branches are reflected on her from shoulder to neck, and her face is covered with the tips of thorns. The thorny branches also appear on the light-colored background, gradually becoming indistinct, emphasizing the relative positions of body and background, while also establishing a unity between the two.