Meet Ece Erten

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ece Erten and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ece, can you tell us about an impactful book you’ve read and why you liked it or what impact it had on you?
I think I must have read Rumi’s “Gold”, translated by Haleh Liza Gafori, 5 times this past year. I always had an appreciation for mysticism and poetry but that specific selection of poems made me feel so differently about how and when to love and the holiness of it. His poems talk about the inner human experience and need to love while surrendering yourself to it. It inspired me so much that I even decided to make my entire thesis project on “Gold”. My favorite line from the entire selection was “Why adore the dead but battle the living? You’ll kiss the headstone of my grave. Look I’m lying here still as a corpse, dead as a stone. Kiss my face instead!”

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I mostly take my inspiration from literature and the daily life. I find great joy in isolating slices from every day life and depicting them in a way that pushes the viewer to perceive it in a more appreciative eye. I tend to think that -especially today where every part of our lives; work, economy, politics, social media, etc. is changing super fast, we tend to overlook the simple treasures of life. Like how different every single person is dressed on the sidewalk while they are waiting for the light to turn white, or how each one of your fingers embrace a coffee cup, or how a single piece of spaghetti kind of twirls around a fork or etc. I think it is important to showcase that through art, to highlight the things we tend to forget. I have found this to be my inspiration by just constantly drawing. Somehow art became this tool or an old friend that helped me understand my surroundings better; when you are trying to draw a bottle for instance, you are rebuilding the entire structure from scratch on to the paper. You have to look for the negative space, shadows, highlights, etc. It helps you appreciate the tiny things and slow down with your observations. Such as how the bottle changes form from its top to its bottom. When you look for it inspiration or excitement to make art can be found in the most ordinary places all around. It somewhat pushes you to constantly draw or paint, which kind of the only path to becoming better at your craft.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As a Manhattan girl who was been living in the city for the past 4 years, I can say with the upmost confidence that my favorite place is still and forever will be the MET Museum. It is essentially a maze, and it is nearly impossible to feel bored. I love taking my friends and family to the Turkish, Mughal and the Iranian section and then later walking them through the Orientalist paintings. I always find that part of the museum to be breathtaking and inspirational as I talk about Edward Said’s “Orientalism”. After taking them to the MET, depending on the time I would either take them to my favorite Thai restaurant, UpThai (order their Pad Woonsen Poo and thank me later) or we would get coffee at Poppi -a tiny corner cafe on the 69th Street. Besides Central Park, my favorite place in New York to go on a serene walk is the Village. I love going there to thrift (St. Luke’s Thrift on 487 Hudson St has always the best finds) or stopping by Do Not Feed Alligators for a quick snack and coffee. Another place that I always take my friends to is Printed Matter -specifically their Chelsea location. I can get lost in there for hours and be surrounded by all kinds of published artists… I recently purchased Gizem Vural’s Comic Collection Book there and it hasn’t left my bed side table ever since. It is an amazing find. Probably my favorite spot to get coffee in the city is in Chelsea as well; inside the historical High Line Hotel is a coffee shop called Intelligentsia. The interior space is so authentically decorated and their coffees are equally delicious! Another favorite thing to do of mine is try to catch concerts or other park events. Over the summer Bryant Park hosts movie nights that are free for all. It is always a great way to spend your Monday evenings with friends as the park turns to an open air theatre where you can have a tiny picnic with friends! Another way to catch concerts besides going to Madison Sq Garden or other big venues is either by going to jazz bars like the KGB Bar in East Village or looking out for other local artist events -I like to watch out for Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra’s events.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Starting from my mom, my dad and Bahadir, whom have believed in me from the very start and surrounded me with so much love and art… and also our dog Carmen who is kind enough to sit on my lap every time I start painting and sniffs my brushes as she tries to understand what I am doing until she gets bored. I know that I can’t possibly name every single person but I can at least give a shoutout to my hometown, Izmir. I had a very colorful childhood considering the fact that I was always around ancient history that have helped me build a natural pull towards art and design. Being brought up in the Mediterranean coast of Turkey allowed me to look for and feel the authentic warm essence of art making… Later on when I moved to New York I was able to get lost in that curiosity with the city’s rich diversity and constantly buzzing culture. I also would not be where I am today with my practice if it weren’t for my professors at the School of Visual Arts; Riccardo Vecchio, Carol Fabricatore, Bruce Waldman, Peter Hristoff, Edel Rodriguez, David Sandlin, Alejandro Chen Li, Joel Holland, Joana Avillez and Viktor Koen. I was a very lucky student to have been in their presence and learn from them.

Website: www.ecerten.com

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