CONTEMPORARY SEAL OF ANCIENT CITIES  “MYSTERY OF POINT”  

Gülseli İNAL

Unconsciousness appears and disappears like a pulse. Those memories that appear and disappear and those which leave mark with desire and impetus can only be caught up to an extent. Appearing and disappearing unconsciousness has two separate modes of action. When desire stimulates unconsciousness; the hand as an extension of the mind that is waiting to make a right move towards the canvas, if it belongs to an artist; begins to create plastic forms to transform them into visuals.  Thus, desire carries the thing obtained from a past image in the past to the future. And in parallel, childhood memories rising from the memory of Berkan Baycan are turned into illuminated forms and exist on a bird’s eye view area on the canvas. The thought-modes are put into action here; the artist transforms the memories collected in his treasury chest into an inner observation. Internal observation enables creation of forms on the surface.

As the memories of the painter who lived his childhood in the natural environment of the Anatolian and Mesopotamian cities are formed on the canvas through pointillist technique the personal treasury chest is opened and the journey to the past begins. Baycan seems to travel on the back of ancient winged Phoenix bird of Mesopotamia and show us ancient cities with bird’s eye view. A new perspective. Since consciousness and unconsciousness of artist constantly communicate with each other, a rhythm has been created and he tries to catch this tempo / appearances and disappearances/with pointing attacks on the surface on the canvas. Because this pointillist style is the most accurate technique that can control the speed or the slowness of catching up the thing rising under the consciousness. This relationship between subconscious and pointing method creates the memory control mechanism of the artist. The ancient city ruins that he witnessed in childhood, signs written on the tablets, strange letters, half-collapsed sculptures, and wall paintings are transformed to canvas with a point rhythm from subconscious to the painting surface at that slippery moment and turns into aesthetic presence of a future time. The artist endeavours to design contemporary exegesis of great ancient cities like Stylus with tablet writing pen used for nail writing; Babylon, Nevali Çori, the land of the beginnings Uruk, Hattushas, cities of​​ sins Sodom Gomorra, Ur, Göbekli Tepe from the stone age and reminds the cities of these magnificent civilizations and checks memories, journey to past while referring to social mess experienced in time at this moment. The artist faces his individual consciousness with social consciousness and transforms painting ancient archetypes into an aesthetic sensation.

Besides, this attitude is not only marking space but also a rare thematic technique obtained by pointing method that keeps line and light in itself. On the canvas where the other subject of the artist is created while appearances of the birds-eye view cities are present in an imaginary space, memories kept by the painter in his testament chest scatter. It is Speculum Mundi that is inner mirror of the world and himself that causes artist to have a different consciousness on the canvas.

The artist creating power points on the canvas composes lines that divide the areas created by the composition, power lines and escape lines into one harmonic combination. Nevertheless, when looking at the antique cities on the painting or Phoenix Bird in another canvas he witnesses that a screen enters between the view and painting. This screen means absence of painter therein at the moment he paints. It is because the conversion has been realized by thematic technical method.

MYSTERY OF POINT

As we approach ancient cities of Berkan Baycan, the light- ball appearance on the surface leaves its place to a composition embroidered with pointing method and the painting does not start a race with any external appearance but competes with the idea it points. This is searching for its own essence, expression through images and transfer from the lower region to the upper region. And mystery of point encounters us. While Baycan transfers these facts embroidered in his mind to an aesthetic language, his usage of pointing technique is devoted to express his trust to the point and blessing of the symbol of the unity principle. The point that makes the space a value and makes non-existence an existing object represents principle in hieroglyph and beginning of all the letters in the Hebrew alphabet. The fact that the point represents the beginning of the manifestation realm is converted into a technical method also reveals the relation of mind of artist with light. The level of the point is equal to the pure existence. The point is dimensionless and shapeless. Therefore, it is not the kind of individual existence. However when it is located in the space, that is, when the painter reminds for a special purpose the painting gains functions.

While artist begins to his work with the point his unconscious is activated. The thematic technique created by point and unconsciousness creates an aesthetic language specific to Berkan Baycan. Like each dimension that starts with a point in space, the artist’s works also begin with the magic use and spread of the point. And it reaches to a style that determines the direction of the canvas. The six dimensions created by the expansion of the point in space are transformed into dimensionlessness on canvas of Baycan. The artist is not in search of form, but ancient cities that he created in a more linear manner and legendary birds flying in the sky establish his image universe. This is a kind of self-expression, an introspection and visual record of personal treasuries. At the same time, the canvas alone is turned into a single image.

The artist’s naive relationship with light initiates a call to his inner world. While memorabilia richness of his internal world gets form gradually on the surface the sound of a unique existence is heard. Some parts of the composition are crowned with lines from ancient languages. For the artist, ancient languages are not dead, but they keep survived because they live in his soul. Because they are born in the art work of present and because it is carried out from inner treasure to outside in the form of treasury chest. The artist’s spirit experiences transformation in the canvas across us. The source of this transformation is Selfness. This is a bright object of self-consciousness.

As the most active age in aesthetic creation the 20th century was a scene for individualization attacks from the beginning to the end in the artistic arena. However, artists of this age have always pictured their own chemistry. In the 21st century, the artist began to carry the social items that exceed his own chemistry to his canvas. In contemporary attitude; the more aesthetic interpretation shifting from creative activity of the mind and inner structure of its own being to the outward contradicts with external existence more reality it carries. For contemporary expression, Hegel says, “To restore a lost union between the finite and the infinite, and to put forth a new logic to reach pure spirit.” As described by Hegel, Baycan is a young talent trying to establish the balance of the lost unity on the canvas as an artist who uses contemporary language. To catch the slippery structure of the subconscious that we mentioned about earlier and to ensure the lost unity, it is the way of the artist. The power of the inner being that begins to live on the canvas is exalted as much as it ignores the laws of the outer being, and passes on to the enlightened space of creation leaving a barren country behind. Because this expressed knowledge is transformed into other knowledge of its own internal existence thanks to aesthetic power  

HOLOGRAPHIC TIME

Artist progresses by adding special “Patterns” to his composition with the intellectual attacks having energy particles of the new age and the individual desires are infused in the grids of roses. The human body in relation to the universe is the holographic reflection instrument, and the brain is the main holographic reality projector. That’s the case for each individual. The rational mind uses linear time. However an artist like Baycan realizes holographic time on the surface of the canvas while reminding ancient cities. While ancient information he carries to us from the past are shaped on the canvas as lifestyle and infinite forms it gives a warning. The cyclic upper-form which witnesses in the canvas has a spiral form and this is also the character of the holographic time. In the upper warning of the canvas, the craving for Beauty is initiated. While beautifying impetus applied pointing to surface with cuneiform pen Stylus it witnesses the birth of a magical formula.  

Point is timeless, pointing is timed. Instead of linear time perception, holographic perception carries artist to the centreof the civilizations when ancient times was lived. This is a journey made in time. The existence of ancient time, aura, form and energy are recalled by the painter. And it is seen that a new world is born on the surface. Creating a new memory using historical data, carrying archetypes to present and creating a new spatial principle with pointing method. Baycan has discovered the archetypal core qualities; this is the place where divine inheritance is rooted. When ancient cities founded in high dimensional oasis meet with the crystal net they receive vibration of creative light and came into existence in the strongest places. The lines of this powerful vibration establish the linear style of the Baycan’s aesthetics. The light cord leads a path through the universe. This light cord which is seen on Baycan’s canvas sometimes becomes stronger and sometimes weaker. While painter adjusts harmony of pendulum does not carry upper and lower Mesopotamian settlements in the land where civilizations were born to the canvas in vain. While the artist, who initiates a new deep journey, reminds sense of history in the subjective dimension he blends it with the bird’s eye view. Thus, this aesthetic that starts with forms of sensory time and great holographic time beyond time opens up the world of forms that exist in the monolithic time flow. This attitude is entirely outside of modernism. 

That artist equips his canvas with historical images is a “Re-reflection” in terms of time, a “Placement to its place” in terms of space, “Renewal of selfness” in spiritual terms, a “Warning” in social terms,  a “Purgation” in terms of individuality, a “Reflection” in terms of touching, “Sending to future” in terms of spirit. We can also interpret this as the beginning of a fresh flow of consciousness and a rupture from modern logic.  The recall of the historical object, as a characteristic of the postmodern age means a unity of ideas that seem to be disconnected from each other at a magical moment. The artist invites past time which has been silent for years to present and equips, shows as examples and calls art audience to entrance gates of the new age.  While this call demolishes patterns of modernism reminds monolithic time. There is no such thing as pure mind / pure unconsciousness in the processes of modernism. However, in the aesthetic of “New Age” there are journey to essence, connection with the past, meeting of social and individual archetypes and recall of historical objects; as in aesthetics of Berkan Baycan. While artist, who carries the mind of the multi-dimensional universe, aesthetizes the memories of the divine connection he touches the structure of the “Origins” with his works and uses holographic time.

Velvet-looking kings Sargon, Nabonid, Nebuchadnezzar, Assurbanipal, Sammuramat who established their cities by mixing perfume to bricks honours our gaze with scents in Berkan Baycan’s works and enters to new age with their ancient existence in the works of the artist  .