Brussels-based artist duo from istanbul composed of Yasemin Baydar & Birol Demir who began their collaborative practice in 1998, strides with undisguised dexterity the invisible political strategies and the social dynamics by ultra-contemporary devices of an apparent lightness. Like a disco ball, :mentalKLINIK shows are a selection of their multifaceted approach on their universe. Resisting to the limitations of a single vocabulary or style, their world is a playful one full of hedonistic appeal which can be experienced as festive and glamorous but also surprising as one approaches to discover with a closer view an underlying violence suggestive of a bad trip after party or a creepy beginning of the end.
Their works shift between emotional and robotic attitudes. Artist duo reclaim the sparkling and authoritative visual language of the media and night spheres in a climate of sensory hyper-stimulation engendered by multiple neons, slogans, light beams, mirror balls and confetti while playing with our unanimous attraction to objects glittering and seductive. It is all the work of encryption to which they summon us, between the true and the false, the artificial and the superficial, as if everything were a case of falsification. :mentalKLINIK has an open laboratory approach to process, production, roles, conception and presentation. Their works are a mix of oxymoron and paradoxes, darkly humorous, self-contained range from immersive time-based installations to sculptures and objects that thwart categorisation.
:mentalKLINIK functions as a multimedia and conceptual laboratory where the mind and practice intersect-":mental" reflecting thought and "KLINIK" signifying action. Their work engages with contemporary objects, using them to reveal underlying behavioral, psychological, political, and emotional dynamics. Through their exploration of design, new media, and technology, they probe sensory experiences, exposing hidden ideologies within a world of constant stimulation. Their practice, like the world around us, is at once seductive and disquieting, shifting between the glamorous and the unsettling. Since their inception in 1998, :mentalKLINIK has continuously evolved, moving beyond conventional distinctions of spirit, body, and genre to forge a more fluid and inclusive artistic identity.
:mentalKLINIK's experimental approach has been praised on numerous institutional exhibitions including Bitter Medicine#02, Borusan Contemporary, Istanbul, curated by Necmi Sonmez; FreshCut, MAK, Vienna_ Austrian Museum of applied Arts/Contemporary Art, curated by Marlies Wirth; and Co-operation Would be Highly Appreciated Exhibition at SCAD Museum GA, USA, curated by Storm Janse van Rensburg. They have participated in numerous international exhibitions including Istanbul Modern-Rotterdam at Boijmans van Beuningen Museum (Rotterdam, 2012); Izmir Triennial of Contemporary Art (Izmir, 2010); and Tomorrow, Now (MUDAM, Luxembourg, 2007). They opened an introspective at La Patinoire Royale, Brussels curated by Jerome Sans in 2018. Their selected major solo shows are, That's Fucking Awesome curated by Jerome Sans (2011) and rABBIThOLE (2009) at Galerist, İstanbul; Thank You For your Cooperation (2014) and Truish (2017) at Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Dubai; 83% Satisfaction Guaranteed (2015) at Louise Alexander, Porto Cevro, Italy; Catastrophically Gorgeous (2018) curated by Yasmina Reggad and Lovelessnes (2022) at Eugster II Belgrade; Hypermoody (2022) at Sabrina Amrani Gallery, Spain; and Paradise on Sale (2023) at Dirimart, Istanbul. Their selected group shows are; Chroniques Biennale Of Digital Imagination (2022) at Panorama Friche La Belle De Mai, Marseille; Golden Room (2019) at Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille; Eldorama (2019) at Tripostal, Lille; Shake Your Body (2022) at Lago Algo, Mexico City; Racing The Galaxy (2019) at Astana Art Show, Astana.
:mentalKLINIK lives and works between Brussels, Belgium and Istanbul, Türkiye.