DERVIS DERVISOGLU

Mythological stories of Cyprus tell us about Cinyraids, whose dynasty in the land of Paphos lasted over one thousand years. According to myth it all started with the stone mason Pygmalion who was so disgusted with the behaviour of his fellow country women he devoted all of his attention to his profession and never took a partner. Unfortunately, the love and beauty goddess (Aphrodite) played games with his heart, she revealed herself to him in his dreams. Pygmalion recreated an image of the goddess in stone and fell in love with his statue.  Aphrodite pitied him and so granted life to his sculpture enabling him to marry her. Whilst I am not Pygmalion, neither do I share his vision in the creation of my own art works. I do not practice as an artist to satisfy my personal needs.  I do not make art for beauty’s sake.  I see my art as a platform for communication and translate my personal thoughts and feelings which spectators may respond to in their own way.  This is an ongoing process in which one art work informs the next. As Marcel Duchamp once said “art is not art before it is scrutinised by spectators.” My art works are not prescriptive, they are open to interpretation.

I work with clay, stone, wood and anything I find available. I am not tied to a particular medium, the many making processes are a means to communicate my ideas which are often influenced by world mythology and history, contemporary life and the natural world. I try to translate these thoughts and feelings in my work.