Baby on Board

Pilot Gallery is happy to announce to host Melih Çebi's first solo exhibition at its gallery space, titled "Baby on Board", between March 18 and April 22, 2023. "Baby on Board" presents Melih Çebi's personal journey to connect with other creatures and the world around him, the everlasting search for the identity of the individual who was born into a consumer society and tries to keep up with the digital age, with works produced over the last four years. By juxtaposing personal and historical, past and contemporary issues interweave into a tapestry of references. Çebi offers a consistent language throughout his works spawned over different mediums such as sculptures, carpets, paintings and ceramics, which are home to a familiar character cader. 

 

Çebi's works deal with themes of existentialism and the unsatisfying nature of the consumer society; the rapidly changing world, trend-focused culture and the pressure to keep up with them are reflected in the recurring characters at the forefront of Çebi's works. At some point, these characters come as the embodiment of Philip Cushman's theory of "empty-self" where he discusses the idea of self in a state of emptiness that is satisfied through channelling in consumer goods as a way of designating their status in the eyes of the society by reflecting the value of the materials they own as their self. This new order where people start to represent the brands more than their selves erases individuality. The characters in the works mock this facade of social norms and expectations by concretising that humour and irony are the keys to happiness for an individual living in today's society. 

 

The humorous elements in Çebi's work are supported by the blending of unfinishedlike touches to work combined with a childlike demeanour. The boundaries between memory, past reality and imagination are questioned by themes such as the mundaneness of city life, the lack of love, the superficiality of the digital world presented through social media, and the exploration of fluid gender identities. The circular faces that appear in practically all of the artist's works remind us of the cameras that are a part of modern city life and that monitor and record us at all times, as well as the celestial bodies such as the sun, and the moon, which are the sources of day and nightlife.