Instead of our usual English lesson at a coffee house, my student S. and I attended the opening of Meltem Sırtıkara's solo exhibition "Zamanlama Meselesi / A Matter of Timing" at Mixer Arts in Tophane, Istanbul, on Friday March 28, 2014. As we stood in front of each work of art, we spoke loudly above the live DJ music. Sometimes I whispered or mouthed the new vocabulary words to get my student to read my lips and guess the word. For two hours, he described art, design, and body language in complete English sentences:
How would you describe Mixer?
Valerie Hugo: Iboga Ancestor's Roots
Kenan Özcan: yabancilasma
How would you describe Mixer?
The entrance has yellow boards on the ceiling.Mixer arts gallery
This is the gift shop display. There are stickers, notepads, skull bracelets, wristwatches.How would you describe these works of art?
Try it on!
Try out the belt!
Help yourself!
Do it yourself! DIY
Valerie Hugo: Iboga Ancestor's Roots
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| Valerie Hugo: Iboga Ancestor's Roots |
This artwork costs 400 TL.Valerie Hugo: Paritzika, the Deer God
These are feathers.
There are roots, skulls, and feathers.
These cost the same as these.
There is an ancestor deer with antlers.Valerie Hugo: Gotham City, the Wild Strikes Back
These are glittery screen prints.
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| Valerie Hugo: Gotham City, the Wild Strikes Back |
It expresses the fall and destruction of NYC.Valerie Hugo: Big Bad Wolf
There is a tsunami wave.
Nature fights NYC.
The roots surround and squeeze the buildings.
The wolf and girl make out.Valerie Hugo
They hug.
They embrace.
The girl throws a spear.Lili Tonnerre
This artist has a Japanese influence.
The girl wears a cloak.
There is a whiskey glass in her hand.Lili Tonnerre
She gives us the finger.Atelier 29: Welcome to the Jungle
There are lots of types of animals and plants: insects, sloths, snakes, flies, lizards, babboon with a beard, tucan, parrot, fern, orchids.Welcome to the Jungle from ATELIER29 on Vimeo.
Kenan Özcan: yabancilasma
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| Kenan Özcan: yabancilasma |
It reminds me of Gezi park protests with tear gas masks and flowers.Burak Tüylek: kadin ve papagan
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| Burak Tüylek: kadin ve papagan |
A parrot sits on the woman's shoulder.Anna Simeonoff: killing me softly
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| Anna Simeonoff: killing me softly |
a skull made of rosesMeltem Sırtıkara: Online
Meltem Sırtıkara: kacanlar, runnersThey embrace.
Meltem Sırtıkara: Online
They get off the phone.
They connect to each other.
This wall has:Meltem Sırtıkara
spotted collars and cuffs
headset
blouse
earphones
sound wave
phone cord
dial phone
It's an imagination game.Meltem Sırtıkara: Bulmaca, Crosswords
He holds his hat to his chest.
He exhales smoke.
He sits on the chair backwards.
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| Anna Simeonoff: killing me softly |
His body language says he is cool.Meltem Sırtıkara: zamanlama meselesi, a matter of timing
The lamp shines a red light.
She turns to look at him.
She checks him out.
He checks her out.
He hides behind shades/sunglasses.More descriptions of paintings:
He looks away into outerspace.
These are orbits.
They look off into the distance.
They look bored.
We can't see their mouths.
They zone out.
I zone out at break time.
Beaugly is the artist's word combining beauty and ugly.Which artwork would you buy?
It's a contradiction.
It's a collage.
This is a seamonster.
fire extinguisher
It's disturbing.
He looks at the clouds.
These are leaves.
These are knives.
This one is framed.
This one is frameless.
There is a reflection of the moon in the hand mirror.
There is a nightmare of cats under the bed.
The man is dressed in scuba gear.
a goose constellation
He has a clock tower as his head and body.
I would buy that graphite one of the embrace.Which artwork is your least favorite?
Those three pictures don't make any sense.How are the people here at the opening?
They seem progressive, modern, and liberal.What do you think about Mixer?
They have tattoos.
They wear skinny jeans.
They listen to DJ music.
They gossip.
They are hipsters.
I am surprised Mixer exists in Istanbul.How do you like an English lesson at an art gallery opening?
I want to come again and bring my family.
I feel more confident speaking about art and making social gossip.