In this context, the duo references the tradition of writing and visuality founded by Emin Barın*, standing at a point where the ancient and the contemporary intersect. As painting, sculpture, poetry, and installations spread across three floors of Barın Han, the artists question the coexistence of the artwork and the written word today, as well as the place of poetry within this relationship.
This inquiry emerges as a reflection on the tradition of writing that transcends the visible, on the act of writing itself, and on the potential to reach new forms of expression through poetic flow. In the exhibition, visuality is reflected in poetry, and poetry in visuality. Both realms expand and reconstitute themselves in a new dimension. Drawing on the history of thought and philosophy, Soylu and Utkan take the viewer on a journey through the concepts of mind, body, soul, being, and unity.
*Emin Barın (1913 – 1987) a highly respected Turkish calligrapher, bookbinder and graphic artist, widely regarded as one of the leading figures in modern Turkish lettering and decorative arts. He was born in Bolu, Turkey, and began studying calligraphy at a young age under his father, also a master calligrapher. Barın completed his formal art training in Turkey and continued advanced studies in Germany, where he won awards such as first prize at the International Hamburg Book Exhibition for his work Olimpiyat (1938). He produced significant public commissions, including inscriptions for Anıtkabir, the Turkish War of Independence Monument, and other major cultural and religious sites. His career bridged traditional Islamic calligraphy and modern visual expression, and he exhibited widely in Turkey and abroad. Barın’s work and teaching left a lasting impact on Turkish calligraphic and graphic arts.