Necla Rüzgar’s finely painted watercolours and sculpture hint at ancient tales of suffering and the oppression of women as human figures metamorphose into fantastic hybrid creatures. Her simple images are rich in symbolism. When opening her recent show in the Grimmwelt in Kassel in 2021, the German jurist and politician Ayse Asar, neatly summed up the Ankara-based artist’s work: ‘Just as the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm have more than one dimension, Necla Rüzgar’s often magical works also offer several dimensions and deal with current social problems such as the oppression of women.’ Rüzgar is currently professor of art at Ankara’s Hacettepe University. She was born in Tunceli in 1972 and regularly exhibits at Galari Nev.
Issue 66, December 2023
Turkey’s Centenary Issue
