Work in Progress: Hayal Pozanti
The Turkish-American artist gives a behind-the-scenes look at the process for her latest nature-suffused paintings, which debut at Frieze Seoul
The Turkish-American artist gives a behind-the-scenes look at the process for her latest nature-suffused paintings, which debut at Frieze Seoul
Frieze Seoul 2024 marks Hayal Pozanti’s first solo show in Asia, presented by Jessica Silverman. As she prepares to debut her new body of work, Pozanti reflects on the deep connection between her studio rhythms, rituals and processes, and the landscape around her home in rural Vermont, USA. Translated from pastel sketches, Pozanti’s large-scale canvases are a utopian blend of dynamic colour and form.
Livia Russell Can you talk about your new work for Frieze Seoul?
Hayal Pozanti The works are dreamy, sensual worlds, lush with life. I paint on linen using only my fingers and oil sticks. The initial sketches that the paintings are based off are made en plein air with oil pastels. I capture the magic and beauty of the world, bottle it up and perfume my studio with it.
LR How does this work fit within your œuvre?
HP I like to think of my paintings as love letters to the earth. These new works build on this melody.
LR Are there new sources of inspiration in your current work?
HP My inspiration remains the same: plants, flowers, trees – everything in the natural world, including the stars and the moon. I’m interested in experiencing the world through all five senses and reinterpreting it through my subconscious and my dreams.
LR What does your day in the studio look like right now?
HP I go in at around ten and paint until around six. Now that everything is in bloom, I will sometimes get in later, leave earlier, or maybe not come in at all in order to be outdoors and make sketches. Spring and summer hours in the studio are synchronized with the earth.
LR How do you see your practice developing?
HP I plan on doing what I am doing. Our world is endlessly awe-inspiring.
Further Information
Frieze Seoul, COEX, 4 – 7 September 2024.
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Main Image: Hayal Pozanti working in her studio. Courtesy: the artist
