The figure stood there, neck-deep in the cosmic waters, waiting for the storm to consume everything. it reminded me of the ancient sumerian texts where utnapishtim described the moments before the great flood - not with fear, but with an eerie acceptance. i painted this after discovering fragments of a mesopotamian tablet that spoke of ritualistic drowning as a way to commune with the gods of the deep. The water temperature in my mind was exactly 2.7 kelvin, the same as the cosmic microwave background radiation. there's something deeply unsettling about being suspended in a liquid that holds the memory of the universe's birth. the clouds above weren't clouds at all, but tears in the fabric of reality, leaking through from dimensions where light behaves like grief..

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