03/10/2026
YASEMIN SENEL
Château de Jau
✨ LAST DAYS ✨
The exhibition "Territoires sauvages. Une traversée intérieure" (Wild lands. An inner journey) is on view in France at the Chateau de Jau until tomorrow. The show is conceived as an exploration of an unknown and mysterious territory, without precise geographical boundaries, composed of myths, images, founding narratives, and mythical creatures. Yasemin Senel’s brilliant paintings and drawings are currently on display in this unique setting.
Yasemin Senel (Turkey, 1953) presents a series of works on canvas and paper that draw their imagery from ancient epics and cartoons. Our journey leads us to encounter the superstitions and deities of this wild territory. Inspired by the playful and thunderous world of childhood, Yasemin Senel initiates and layers a thousand fierce and singular tales. Colors and lines are used as talismans, and their escalation is a conjuration. She keeps the specter of death at bay without taking her eyes off it. We witness a ceremony where opposites and pretences undermine perceptions. Owls are awake in broad daylight, a bird skeleton offers its breast full of milk, profiles face one another, monkeys crown themselves with wreaths, and ladies of yesteryear hide their emaciated faces beneath veils of virgins and fresh flowers. A near-constant presence is a central female figure who sits enthroned like a merciless goddess, gazing at us with a sidelong glance. Nature is omnipresent, but in its animistic form: birds, rainbows, flowers, and marmosets are all genies and lesser deities. The bright colors, the lively harmonies, the frenzied movement—all of this exudes a joy that is electrifying.
Thanks to Chateau de Jau for showcasing the work of our artists Benoît Huot, Abel Burger, Simone Pellegrini, Emeli Theander, and Yasemin Senel all summer long!
Images: yasemin senel series "Les Ailées", 2019, 110x74cm, mixed media on paper & exhibition views
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