The Lesser Evil
The present and the past are holding us in memorization.
So, what do we call the action of reverse-looking, offered to us by an unexpected party?
Mixer is pleased to host Hilal Polat’s solo exhibition The Lesser Evil. The artist's second solo exhibition, The Lesser Evil can be visited at Mixer between December 17, 2022 and January 28, 2023.
Approaching space as an area of experience, the artist re-interprets changing perspectives and ways of perception, embedded in recommendation for a centralized system. Focusing on a matter of seeing through mythological characters, The Lesser Evil invites visitors to explore new muscles for seeing and recommendations.
Hilal Polat shapes the exhibition in the path of undefined and undescribed mythological characters, all products of her imagination. These undefined mythological characters, rendered in enchanted and unusual forms, present us with a joint question: “What do you really see when you look at us?” Traveling along the infinite borders between concepts such as the sense of seeing, personal experiences, the act of looking, and perspective, the exhibition suggests delve into the perception of seeing at its heart, rather than pushing the boundaries of our imagination. Gathering all her works around a single focus in the design of her exhibition, put together throughout this journey, the artist puts aside the conventional methods of display and builds an island that can harbor her own perspective and prevents it from being influenced by external elements. Presented as an intent to build an island rather than a series of works hanging on walls, the exhibition allows visitors to freely go around the exhibition, as an alternative to experiencing it from within. The artist puts her way of seeing at the center, rather than how others perceive or see things.
Photo Credit: Reyyan Kızılkaya
The Lesser Evil is an examination of seeing. It’s an effort to understand which eye sees what we see. It is a sign of how the stories others tell us have made us grow accustomed to a certain type of memorization. It is a period analysis of the act of cutting down speed and of old perspectives, in this new age where even our taste is condemned to the perspective of others.