Clandestine Light

Cengiz Çekil is one of the pioneers of contemporary art in Turkey. He became acquainted with conceptual art when he went to Paris on a state scholarship in the early 1970s. Having gone beyond conventional materials, he continued to produce works with everyday objects and found items, incorporating the concept of time and its social and political dimensions into his work until his passing in 2015.

Cengiz Çekil’s work "Clandestine Light" consists of grey concrete slabs stacked in a square shape, evocative of a shelter or a house, with openings – resembling a window or door – from which light seeps. Addressing the topical issues of urbanisation and gentrification with his use of concrete, Çekil brings heat and light into his works as an indication of life. "Clandestine Light", one of the works in which the artist uses the motif of the mausoleum, communicates the need for protection against prevailing conditions and outside dangers, as well as the resulting feeling of being crushed under restriction and an undetermined weight.

Initially displayed under the title "Transform-ation" during the exhibition held at the Izmir Turkish-American Association in 1987, Çekil preferred to rename the installation "Clandestine Light" in later exhibitions.