By Heidi Trautmann
There is always a moment of expectation, of excitement going along with Emin Cizenel’s presentation of a new project: what concept has his mind been working on this time. I like his precise way to develop a first idea and I like the way he keeps record of the process his thoughts are taking; he usually pins a big sheet of paper to the wall of his studio to make notes while he works, while he proceeds, and sometimes he shows this sort of work diary in the exhibition that follows. I like the way he experiments with different methods of approach on a preliminary idea…..which is actually the idea of modern thinking in art, conceptual art, it is the road that is important to the final result, no… not final, because there is no finality, just a step towards something in the distant horizon of mind. You cannot pin a ‘handwriting’ to Emin Cizenel’s art work, he has none, except his idea to fathom the space of possibilities.
Some time has passed since we have seen new works of his in Cyprus; with much pleasure I remember his Lost Moment exhibition in which he has shown by the example of the life circle of jasmine how important it is in life to never let your concentration and love of life slacken; or his series of experiments with the smoke of a candle, a most beautiful series of works; or the project some years before, that of old Cypriot fountains…..the flow of water combined with its history.
On the evening of March 13 we got to see the first phase of four to come every month during the early summer of 2013: CALENDAR in four Phases!! He gave us riddles to brood over, what does he mean by it, by CALENDAR in four phases. He did not explain, I assume he wants to excite our curiosity until the last phase when he will tell us.
I believe that there is a leitmotiv to begin with: that is two photographic works of a female and a male navel….the navel of the world….humanity the navel of the world…..a centre point everything circles around….what is the basic meaning of life. In Phase I we find his first conclusions or ‘variations to the theme’ that is flow…flow like water, concentrating on the geometric figure of a triangle, the triangle of life.
2nd Phase: 11 April
3rd Phase: 16 May
4th Phase: 13 June