The intimate beauty 2018

Soltan Soltanlı made this painting, The Intimate Beauty, with what looks like acrylic or oil, building up a bright, fairytale world, and its full of activity! I’m drawn to the way Soltanlı builds up the surface with these thick, almost cake-like layers. It’s not about hiding the hand of the artist, but really reveling in the process of making. There is this one goose flying towards us; its wings are spread wide, catching the light, and each feather is carefully rendered. It's like a stage, each act as delightful as the next. This feels in conversation with folk art traditions, where storytelling and decoration intertwine and the piece reminds me of Henri Rousseau's fantastical jungles, but with a distinctly personal touch. It’s a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation, full of surprises and unexpected connections.