Fulbright-Hays-Group Projects Abroad Program to Turkey 2004
Purchase instructions: email info@fulbright.org with artist name & details of art piece
Artist Statement
Eco-Art: Planet ANature has always been at the center of my everyday experiences and an important part of my art. At the start of the pandemic, I moved to high Sierras, near the Yosemite National Park.I discovered that Sierras and its fauna are very similar to my childhood dwelling places in the Caucasus mountains. I grew up at the Turkish Georgian border before making my way towards the west; first to Europe, then to the USA.After living in the Midwest for a couple of decades, I realized how much I missed the mountains! It felt like going home again!Except for the fires. Two weeks after my arrival, I found myself amid one of the biggest fires in the history of California; Creek Fire. When the fire reached 900 feet from my cabin, I had to evacuate to the Bay area, fast.Every summer the various parts of the Sierras and the Yosemite National Park turn into infernos, due to both natural and human made conditions. Many animals, plants, flowers, and trees turn into ashes.To both celebrate and to record and remember, I now photograph my surroundings.
