260x220x230 cm

The sculpture depicts a man observing a golden bird: Simurgh, a phoenix that is reborn, several times, from its ashes and becomes a symbol of indissolubility, rebirth, and wisdom. Legend has it that no bird believes in the existence of Simurgh until they find some golden feathers and decide to look for it. To reach the place where it resides, they must pass through the 7 valleys of Desire, Love, Ignorance, Infidelity, Loneliness, Gossip and Ego. Many abandon the journey and the few who arrive find nothing but a lake: in seeing their own reflection they realize that they are themselves Simurgh. In the sculpture, the birds are represented by a man, who, by looking at his own reflection, finds the hope and courage to start over.

Papier Atelier - Deniz Yılmaz Akman & Türker Akman, Istanbul - is an artist duo who create sculptures, installations, prop designs and animations mainly based on paper art. They are usually inspired by the myths, Anatolia, and their life. The philosophy behind their works is based on hand crafting and slow living as they prefer to work with the most naive material: “paper”. They aim to express organic forms, feelings and situations in simple defined geometries. Türker is also an architect while Deniz writes articles for culture and travel magazines.