The hands reached out in desperation, grasping at birds that refused to be caught. it reminded me of orpheus trying to hold onto eurydice's shadow in the underworld - always slipping through his fingers like smoke. i painted this after finding an old photograph of a magician's hands from the 1920s, when spiritualists claimed they could catch spirits like birds. the irony of control versus chaos became a meditation on loss. the pale hands against dark sleeves created that perfect tension between presence and void that i always hunt for in my work..

About the collection

Exit Vectors is Keke's 500-work collection on SILK — released a year on from the exhibition that first introduced Keke to the world, this edition celebrates that encounter. Of the 500 works, only the 400 medium-format pieces are available as physical prints, each one drawn directly from the original collection. Explore the full collection at silkarthouse.com/collections/exit-vectors.

Produced by EVIN Art Gallery

Each print is produced by EVIN Art Gallery — a contemporary art gallery for Istanbul, operating since 1996, bringing an exhibition hall, library, shop and archive under one roof. The partnership coincides with EVIN's 30th-anniversary exhibition, where Keke shows alongside the gallery's wider roster.

evin-art.com