Best Before Books in Boxes
"Woman's"

The artist’s vile thoughts about expirery dates

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Best Before Books in Boxes
"The Lost Head"

Artist's Statement:

“I borrowed an ancient folk story (told by Boratav) for my artist book, the first of the series called “Best Before Books in Boxes.”

This story, “My Head”, should be read before one looses one's head, which often happens to many of us.

The Arabic inscription on the cover is the stamped signature of my husband's grandfather who was shot in the head during our Independence War. His name was Recep, my husband was named after him.(His stamp is in my collection now, allowing me to pay personal tribute to him.)

Illustrations are in pencil, the most basic media. The central head relief is baked clay (The workmanship is mine). I designed the digital lettering and used reversed transfer photocopies on very heavy Arches watercolor paper.The binding is hand-woven string. There are 3 copies, numbered and signed. The wooden box is painted in acrylics.

Wooden box:
Height: 20cm Length: 13cm Width: 6cm

The book:
Height: 18.5cm Length: 12cm Width: 1cm

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Best Before Books in Boxes
"The Circle"

A hand crafted book with an expiry date, conveying a sense of urgency, demanding the immediate participation of the reader. This work was created upon the loss of the artist’s mother.

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Books on Tablets
"Light and Dark"

The artist was influenced by wood or clay tablets which served as folios for the scribers of Mesopotamia.

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Books on Tablets
"The Sea and I"

Artist's poetry scetched on wood and scribed on paper is bound with strings containing talismanic metals.

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Ceramic Books
"Calvino's Cosmos"

Several leading contemporary art galleries of Istanbul are staging parallel exhibits with the Xth International Istanbul Biennial. Gallery Apel, in the historic district of Galatasaray, is launching “pages”, with ten leading Turkish artists. Can Göknil’s participation reflects on the codices of the East & the West.

(Sept.6-Oct.20, 2007)

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Altered Books
"Romeos and Juliets of the East"

A description will be added very soon.

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Brotherhood of Word and Sight

While five leather-bound books rest on their cutom built tables, the etchings, aquatints, crayons and sepia inks on their pages reveal the supernatural beliefs of the Ottoman era.

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