CARPEL’s inaugural exhibition, “Chrysalis of Rebirth,” opens in London on March 8. Curated by Bengü Gün, the exhibition explores rebirth not merely as a rejection of the past but as an alchemical transformation that honors and integrates it.
The London and Istanbul-based art collective CARPEL presents its inaugural exhibition, *”Chrysalis of Rebirth,”* exploring the profound transformation and reshaping of one’s existence, identity, and nature.
Offering a perspective that emphasizes the continuous transformation of personal experiences, philosophy, nature, mythology, and culture, the exhibition revolves around the perpetual reconstruction of being and the search for deeper meaning in every new moment.
Curator Bengü Gün describes the exhibition’s purpose as follows:
“In the labyrinth of contemporary existence, where the boundaries of identity, culture, and memory are constantly shifting, we find ourselves in a perpetual state of becoming. This exhibition delves into the concept of rebirth as a multidimensional phenomenon—one that is intricately woven into nature, culture, mythology, philosophy, and the personal narratives of artists. Here, rebirth is not merely a new beginning or an act of forgetting the past; rather, it is an existential reconstruction, a powerful reflection of our ongoing efforts to reshape our identities, environments, and lives according to new circumstances and surroundings.
Our exploration of rebirth goes beyond the individual experience—it extends to nature’s cycles of renewal, the revitalization of spaces, the shifting meanings of places under changing conditions, the resurgence of ancient cultures in our contemporary lives, the emergence of new ways of understanding, and the transformation of rituals. Through this broad perspective, we invite audiences to reflect on the continuous process of renewal that defines both personal and collective existence.”
“Chrysalis of Rebirth” engages with the dynamics of change, examining how personal, cultural, and societal transformations take shape through the interplay of memory, imagination, destruction, and creation. As the exhibition contemplates the nature of rebirth, it poses a thought-provoking question: “Is rebirth merely a beginning, or is it the reimagining of life through the lens of acceptance and transformation?” The artworks presented delve into the complexity and layered structure of renewal and recreation processes, offering a deep inquiry into the cyclical nature of life, art, and society.
Featuring works by Ahu Akgün, Burçak Bingöl, Cemre Yeşil, Erol Eskici, Hilal Polat, Meltem Şahin, Nancy Atakan, Özgül Arslan, Sarah Pickstone, and Seph Li, “Chrysalis of Rebirth” will be on view at CARPEL London from March 8 to March 26.
