Evren Tekinoktay

In an effort to pull apart the currency of the female form in contemporary society, Danish artist Evren Tekinoktay builds mixed media collages. Layering found imagery with abstracted forms and visual tropes from advertising, Tekinoktay lays bare the constructs of desire and its deliberate manufacturing by the media. Building on the legacy of collage artists such as Hannah Höch, Eileen Agar, Dora Maar and Nancy Spero, the works are comical and striking, yet a knowing feminist undertone runs throughout these pieces. Even in her collages void of the female figure, abstracted, cartoonish forms signify coded messages and the candy-sweet, pastel palettes speak volumes. Outside of collage, Tekinoktay also works with neon, moving image and kinetic sculptures. Echoing the folksy, craft aesthetic of her collages, these other formats weave together low-tech footage and everyday materials, disarmingly navigating hard-hitting topics in familiar, nostalgic and domestic contexts. ...

The Approach is co-directed by Jake Miller and Emma Robertson. Located in Bethnal Green above The Approach Tavern, for over twenty years it has operated an internationally recognised programme from its East London base. The gallery is known for discovering artists and establishing their careers as well as making inter-generational curated group shows a strong focus. The list of represented artists includes the Estates of important overlooked female artists Heidi Bucher and Maria Pinińska Bereś, as well as seminal British collage artist John Stezaker, together with established and emerging artists including Magali Reus, Peter Davies, Lisa Oppenheim, Sandra Mujinga, Pam Evelyn, Sara Cwynar, Sam Windett and Caitlin Keogh. Over the years the gallery has operated parallel programmes in additional gallery spaces in London’s West End (The Approach W1) and in Shoreditch (The Reliance). The gallery is currently based solely in its original East End location and continues to expand its programme, showcasing its represented artists in the main gallery space, and both represented and non-represented artists in The Annexe, a smaller, more experimental space at the back of the building. ...