EMRAH YÜCEL – YOU HAVE ONE UNREAD MESSAGE

“You Have an Unread Message” — Emrah Yücel

The title “You Have an Unread Message” borrows a phrase commonly encountered in contemporary communication; however, in Emrah Yücel’s exhibition, this phrase carries a meaning far beyond a mundane reminder. Here, the issue is not simply a message that has been sent but not yet read, but rather an encounter with words whose existence is acknowledged yet often overlooked. The exhibition proposes a perspective on the rediscovery of writing.

In the practice of Yücel, who defines himself as a “letter painter,” the letter is not merely a sign that conveys meaning. As writing settles onto the surface of the painting, it partially withdraws its legibility and transforms into a formal presence. The direction, density, and repetition of the letters determine the rhythm of the composition; text becomes a constitutive element of the painting rather than a narrated content. Within this approach, writing exists as a structure that both conceals and reveals meaning.

The works in the exhibition are produced based on verses, suras, and narratives. These texts do not aim to construct a directly explanatory discourse; rather, they create a space of encounter between the meaning carried by sacred texts and the contemporary pictorial surface. As the spiritual context of writing and the material presence of the image converge on the same surface, the works invite traditional calligraphic practice to be reconsidered within a contemporary pictorial language rather than simply repeated.

Curated by Zeynep Öztürk, “You Have an Unread Message” demonstrates that writing can be approached not only as content to be read, but as an entity capable of transforming the ways we see and think. The exhibition can be visited at DG Art Project between March 21 and April 5, 2024.

ABOUT EMRAH YÜCEL

Born in Bartın in 1981, the artist completed his undergraduate education at Anadolu University and received his master’s degree in Graphic Design from the Institute of Social Sciences at Haliç University. Recognizing misconceptions surrounding the perception of calligraphy in his country many years ago, the artist worked with leading calligraphers around the world and shared these experiences across fine arts platforms in Turkey. He has consistently emphasized that writing is not merely composed of letters, and that the relationship between form and shape present in painting also exists within calligraphy; with this understanding, he has described himself as a “letter painter.”

He is a member of the International Association of Master Penman, Engrossers and Teachers of Handwriting and holds a calligraphy diploma from The Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society (CLAS). Having participated in numerous international solo and group exhibitions, he continues his practice as a calligrapher in his studio in Balat, one of Istanbul’s historic neighborhoods, working with paper and pen.