Art Basel Premiere

Strings by Koray Ariş can be visited at the Premiere section of Art Basel in Basel. The series focus- es on a recent body of work produced between 2021 and 2026, providing insight into the sound inherent in Ariş’s work. Ariş is known for his particular style of organic abstraction with the use of leather and wood, the series represents a sculptural attempt to capture primeval forms undergoing metamorphosis. The presentation includes 14 works, all in wood and leather, each suspended in the air by thin steel ropes. Unique in form, together they form a maze-like inner space welcoming visitors to walk through, and even touch them.

As the sole living representative of the Turkish academic sculptural tradition, Ariş studied Sculp ture in the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts from 1963 until 1968, before he went to Rome for further studies. The State Academy was the heart of Turkish sculptural tradition, where a distinct understanding of form and material expression prevailed over several generations. From late 19th century on, Turkish sculpture has put a strong emphasis on movement, music and dance – inheriting the extremely rich Ottoman coexistence of senses of form, with frail references to old Turkic or Anatolian proportions. Representing a unique continuation of this tradition, Ariş’s works are known for their unwavering yet experimental carnal character.

The presentation titled Strings, refers to string instruments. The pieces each provide abstract encapsulations of sounds, in both their shell-like forms, but also in the way they are presented with their two sides (back and front) made visible. Thanks to the visibility of these two sides, the viewer may interpret the skeletons of the forms and their outer surfaces as two complimentary visualiza- tions that mirror notations. Ariş’s works always had a strong connection to music, having previously produced a distinct body of free-standing large-scale percussive sculptures, yet this latest series of primordial forms represent a unique quest for fossilized soundscapes.