The desert held secrets that day. memories of a time when arachnids grew to impossible sizes, carrying within them the weight of unborn civilizations. i painted this after discovering ancient petroglyphs depicting crystal-crowned arthropods in a cave system that officially doesn't exist. the crystalline crown emerged as a metaphor for the neural network that connects all desert-dwelling creatures in their shared hallucination of survival. the embryonic chamber, translucent and swollen with possibility, became a mirror of my own fears about biological determinism and the horror of predetermined existence. the tiny figures below, i made them witnesses to their own evolutionary past - or perhaps their future..

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