Steppingstones

Istanbul

Steppingstones developed from a route I ran regularly along the rocky shoreline of Kadıköy, Istanbul. Moving across the uneven landscape demanded concentration and awareness, creating a shifting dialogue between the physical reality of the terrain beneath my feet and the thoughts that emerged along the way.

Steppingstone #1
2020 · acrylic on canvas · 120 x 100 cm

The paintings are rooted in direct observation. Each work depicts a specific rock encountered on that journey. Yet they are not simply records of place. Embedded within their surfaces are traces of the people who occupy these spaces: fragments of graffiti, marks of use, signs of intervention and evidence of everyday life. Together they form a portrait of a shoreline shaped equally by geology, history and human presence.

The project grew from an interest in how places are understood through movement. Walking, running and wandering have long been central to my practice. Through repeated encounters, familiar landscapes begin to reveal their complexity. Small details become significant. Surfaces accumulate meaning. The ordinary becomes worthy of attention.

While grounded in observation, the paintings are ultimately celebrations of painting itself. Layers of colour, texture and gesture transform the rocks into something more than representation. Faithful to the experience of the place rather than its exact appearance, the works sit between documentation, memory and abstraction.

Running the Shoreline
Film documenting the route that generated the Steppingstones series.
A film by Tavuz Tan

Presented as a continuous sequence, the paintings echo the rhythm of the shoreline and the path that generated them. Each painting represents a step along a journey, while together they form a larger reflection on place, movement and the traces we leave behind.