Asli Uludag

We Are History
steel, cast iron, cement, nickel silver, copper
12 x 40 x 20 in.

My work is derived from my interest in ancient cultures and their connection to us, today. History is free of us, but we are dependent, embedded in history. In my work, the past is combined with the present through the use of ancient patterns, traditions, rituals and the inclusion of contemporary designs, acts and thought. History is documented through sculpture and recreated through performance. History is replayed, as it is in daily life. A part of this is achieved by the use of materials that have played a big role in the development of civilization. Copper, bronze, iron and steel were used to make tools and weapons; steel and iron were stepping stones of industry; cement and steel were essential for the development of architecture and bronze was for art. These ancient materials are used to start contemporary conversations and in interactive pieces, when the viewer touches the work, which carries marks of the past, it is altered by the present and the present becomes a part of the past, just as we become history every passing minute.