Performance Installation 2023, im Rahmender Ausstellung. “Die Befreiung der Form. Barbara Hepworth“, Lehmbruck Museum Duisburg, 2.4.-20.8.2023 Kuratorin : Jessica Keilholz

Nezaket Ekici’s performance, “Cohesion Patterns_Pierced Form,” draws inspiration from the abstract and organic sculptural language of Barbara Hepworth. Hepworth’s work—shaped by the wild, open landscapes of Cornwall and its ancient megalithic structures—was defined by the “pierced form,” a sculptural technique which operated through absences in material. Building on this legacy, Ekici engages in a live transformation of a monumental, abstract sculpture. With a 50cm iron needle and a 200-meter-long rope, she threads the rope through dozens of hand-sized holes scattered across the form. The act of sewing (repetitive, deliberate, and physically demanding), gradually binds the open form into a new kind of visual and structural unity. What begins as an airy framework becomes a woven volume: the rope not only reinforces the sculpture’s stability but also weaves a new skin onto its surface. Through this process, Ekici doesn’t merely embellish a sculpture, she remakes it entirely. The act of threading becomes a sculptural gesture in itself, creating a new form born of movement, labor, and line. The performance unfolds from all angles, emphasizing multiplicity of perspective. The rope traces Ekici’s bodily engagement with space and material, embodying themes of interconnection, tension, and cohesion. Echoing Hepworth’s contrasts, Ekici juxtaposes hardness and softness, void and thread, gesture and structure. In doing so, “Cohesion Patterns_Pierced Form” becomes not only an homage to Hepworth but also a reanimation of sculptural tradition through performative action—suggesting that sculpture is not static, but a living, evolving dialogue between form, material, and body. (Text Edited: Jono Wang Chu)

Skulptur mit Plattform; Metal-Nadel, 50 cm; 200m Seil, Kostüm

2,5 h

Kamera und Editing : Branka Pavlovic; Videostill: Branka Pavlovic; Photos: Andreas Dammertz; Produktion und Konstruktion: Jesper Niemann; Metallnadel: Werner Mohrmann-Dressel; Kostüm Design: Nezaket Ekici; Kostüm Schneider: Süleymann Danke an: Dr. Söke Dinkla, Jessica Keilholz, Nina Hülsmeier, Anne Groh und dem Team vom Lehmbruck Museum Duisburg; Jesper Niemann, Branka Pavlovic, Julian David Bolivar, Sülyelmann, Werner Mohrmann-Dressel, Andreas Dammertz, Marianne Dammertz, Roger Hüser