Melike Kara

shallow lakes
Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt

Identity, Migration, and Visibility

Melike Kara’s paintings (b. Bensberg, 1985; lives and works in Cologne) are characterized by her experimental treatment of surfaces. The artist creates dynamic compositions in thick oil pastels, adding depth of meaning by integrating materials that are alien to painting. She layers and abstracts tapestry motifs, incorporating weaving techniques and customs that the different Kurdish tribes picked up in the countries to which their involuntary migrations took them. Employing a creative vocabulary that also encompasses sculpture, video, poetry, and other media, Kara’s art aims for formal as well as thematic complexity, exploring combinations of Kurdish traditions, narratives, lived experiences, and rituals. 

shallow lakes documents Kara’s site-specific presentation for the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt. The catalogue accompanying her solo exhibition includes a detailed introduction by Sebastian Baden and provides extensive scholarly insight into the cultural traditions that inform the rising young artist’s practice.