Women of Lace – Giving Birth 

By Heidi Trautmann

Under “Cyprus Cultural Events” I have been announcing Sezin Bogac’s exhibition and the opening evening on May 7. The exhibition was planned under the concept and in honour of mothers and the mothers day. Sezin explains her concepts with the following words:

“Could the naïve yet radical richness of the secular and moral values, delivered by women be expressed by a word, colour or melody? How, with what shall the love be described towards a new born life, the anxiety, longing hopes and sadness lived, while the newborn is growing? Hundreds of lives at the intersections, yet still whole, woman can carry it all…with thousands of beauties rising within….

Woman, is mother-since the birth of mankind, the source of the first soul…Woman is love. Love is fertile; because it is creative. Woman is creative because she is love...And a new world can only be created with love- In short I am willing to tell the adventure of expression of the internal world of the woman, the dreamer, creator, deliverer, shaper, and living through the pain of creating in all its aspects.

For years, I tried to express these dreams, beauty, happiness and sadness with the lacework I made. Just like a carpet with stories of hundred years back…Weaving a carpet is an internal scream; the worries being woven on the love loom. In the motives of the carpet are included spiritual stories about expressions of love, wounds of desire, dance of feelings, sophisticated touch, and lackluster eyes. Different patterns of the motives reflect the depth of the woman’s spirit, value of existence, joys of the past and present moments. Lacework, just like carpet weaving hosts the universe of different feelings in each of its motives. There is a lot hidden in the motives of lace work reflecting the inner movement. Some have a secret lustful feeling, others represent excitement, may be love or desire, even sadness, longing, dreams and anxiety. For many years I tried to express in my lacework the change of women’s long lasting dream to the  scream, awakening to a truth opposing the dream. Women’s world is, however, so large, that I chose an abstract way of expression to display the boundless richness of it. Within the spaces between abstract forms I tried to demonstrate the stifled feelings of women.

So, women’s stories were first told in the spaces between the lace motives, then later in the spaces of sculpture structures. I came to the conclusion that women’s life, joy, happiness, anxiety, their living styles, are similar to making lace work, being a mother… a wave of thoughts developed and all to be told.

My dearest women friends came to my rescue and helped me out with pieces of lace of their own with stories still hidden to me, used and yellow as I could not produce the lace myself with the speed I worked on my sculptures. When I started working with the pieces of lace, they communicated with me and I discovered similar stories and they became part of my sculpture work and made it rich. A new journey began.

The 38 pieces displayed carry in them my own story, the stories of my friends and also of you. You may find your own story told in this exhibition.

You see, our stories, the stories of we lace women, will last as long as the world keeps on turning.

Sezin Bogac, translated by Maria Ayca Ates.

Is there much more to be added?

Our new First Lady Mrs Meral Eroğlu spoke the opening words and she ended in the sense of Sezin’s concept. “We women have all gone through hard times, let us hope that they will be days of the past.” 

I slowly moved from one small sculpture to the next and avoided talks with the many friends who had come to congratulate Sezin. They were positioned on wooden stands with some lace motives printed on. The lighting was good; the tops of some stands were made of glass in order to uncover the beauty of the bottom part. All 38 pieces white in white. Soft surfaces interrupted by sudden cuts. Waves of movement. Forms turned inside out disclosing the rough interior. Very feminine structures, full of secrets and partly offering them in an erotic gesture. With some of them I felt comforted but others made me think of wounds, wounds cut with a rough knife disposing the silent smooth flesh, a scream.

I have been meeting Sezin Bogac for many years now, as pharmacist in Famagusta, as prolific exhibition goer and as art student to learn sculpting at the Baki Bogac Pygmalion Sculpting Studio in Famagusta. She has always been interested in Fine Arts even when she studied Pharmaceutical Sciences in Istanbul, she took every opportunity to visit exhibitions.

Now, after five years of study and work to find her own style, she was ready to show us 38 works. The combination of lace and plaster is very unusual and on my extensive travels through the world I have never met or seen such a technique. She told me that she has been researching this combination for a long time until she found the proper way to do it. She is very precise in her technique and her forms are very balanced, forms of life called to a sudden standstill. My congratulations, Sezin!

I am curious to learn her new concept.

The exhibition will be open until May 18. Viewing times will be Mon-Fri 10:00 to 12:00 and 16:00 to 18:00 hrs;

Sat and Sun: 14:00 to 19:00 hrs. The artist will be present.

1951                  Born in Nicosia, Cyprus.

1977                  Graduated from İstanbul University, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

1979-1989         Served in Gazimağusa State  Hospital.

1989                  Opened ‘Sezin Pharmacy’ in Gazimağa

1996                  Joined  Gazimağusa Municipality Turkish Art Music Choir; has participated in various concerts

                            in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002.

2005                  Has done art studies and practice at Pygmalion Sculpture Studio with B.Boğaç.

2006                  She is one of the founders of Cyprus Art Association Turkish Art Music Choir.