Nermin Er’s new solo show, There is Someone, Wandering Inside Me – A Stranger, Closer Than I am to Myself, Strolling Through, will be on view at Galeri Nev İstanbul from May 16 to June 30, 2025. Taking its title from the verse in the song “Gözümde Özleyiş, Gönlümde Acı” [Longing in My Eyes, Ache in My Heart], the exhibition explores the sense of estrangement one can sometimes feel toward oneself. It reflects on the fragile ties between the everyday and the unconscious, while contemplating the infinite possibilities that may exist within the same spaces and moments, and highlighting the subtle shifts and transformations that emerge through repetition.
The 10 videos prepared for the exhibition consist of animations created using the stop-motion technique. The meticulously constructed handmade models in the videos serve not only as physical settings but also as essential elements carrying the emotional and visual atmosphere of the narrative. The handcrafted objects placed within these spaces come to life frame by frame, transforming the models into living scenes where traces of time, rhythm, and a quiet presence circulate. In the absence of human figures, materials and objects gain tangible presence and construct meaning through movement, inviting viewers to observe from within a familiar or unfamiliar atmosphere. Sometimes glimpses of an artist’s studio or a half-open door, these uncertain grounds gently rest on the boundary between memory and imagination. In a space steeped in silence, a sudden light shift or the slow motion of an object leaves the impression of a presence; one that can’t be named, but can be felt.
Er’s work embodies not only visual storytelling but also a patient, physical process of making. Each frame is shaped by small yet decisive gestures, turning every animation into a practice of being. This process activates the emotional memory hidden within spaces, forming a perception where the familiar becomes strange, and the ordinary becomes unusual. The exhibition invites viewers not just to look, but to notice; not only to see, but to connect. It feels like being in a place you know, though you can't recall why: a silent yet sounding world, still yet moving, and slightly melancholic. Er’s constructed universe invites viewers into its own rhythm, an invitation to slow down, observe, listen, and perhaps feel estranged once again.
The sound accompanying the videos reflects the artist’s personal relationship with music and rhythm in daily life, while selected elements from the animated worlds created with ink, fabric, thread, and other materials, are also displayed in the space, offering viewers a more intimate connection with the work.
* With respect to Şemsi Belli, writer of the Turkish verses that give the exhibition its title, and to Selâhattin İnal, composer of the song. Gözümde Özleyiş, Gönlümde Acı - Verses: Şemsi Belli, Music: Selâhattin İnal. Used in the exhibition with permission from the heirs' representatives.
*Sound Design: Metebir, CG Artist: Efkan Öztürk
