Ayse Ipekdokuyan

Hollow

In this ongoing series, The Sardonics, I merge drawing and painting to explore what lies beneath performed identity. Working intuitively, I allow gestures and materials to reveal meaning as I go. Clown figures embody emotional duality—masking inner truths while exposing something raw and unresolved. By reviving underdrawings as visible structures beneath oil paint, I treat drawing as a skeleton and paint as a mask. Each work captures a fleeting rupture, where façade slips and hidden realities surface, creating a dialogue between concealment and revelation.

“The SardonicsOxford Languages: mid 17th century: from French sardonique, earlier sardonien, via Latin from Greek sardonios ‘of Sardinia’, alteration of sardanios, used by Homer to describe bitter or scornful laughter.”