Irfan Onurmen

Condition: This work is in very good condition. Colour: The colours in the catalogue are fairly accurate. The colours are heavier in the actual work with stronger tones of grey, black and magenta.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"Over the last twenty years, Irfan Onurmen, a leading figure within the contemporary art scene of Turkey, created work that is both coherent and pluralistic. His oeuvre consists of paintings and drawings on canvas, newspaper and tulle as well as installations. In general, his works critically analyse our current state of society through presentation in the media. He is especially concerned with common, ordinary, everyday life where anonymous figures struggle to get along inside the chaos of the heterogeneous urban environment that surrounds them.

Since the late 1980's, Irfan Onurmen creates paintings on canvas, where fragmented images of faceless protagonists invite the spectator to actively complete the work in order to become part of the scene. Early in his career, the artist decided to erase the face of the figure because he is more concerned with the general effect of the painting than with any individual story of a particular person. Like an abstract expressionist painting, he creates an all over composition without a central focus point; therefore, one cannot classify his style as being either purely figurative or purely abstract."

Marcus Graf, "Irfan Onurmen: Calm Like a Bomb", in: Pi Artworks Book of Artists 2010-2011, Istanbul 2011, n.p.