Aykut Cömert

We are with Aykut Cömert today, a pioneer in videography in a world where this art seems to be included in our lives more and more. His works that explore identity of woman, the audacity he exudes, and the importance he gives to aesthetic appeal are just a few reasons why he is a new generation artist you must follow.

Has starting your work in a country that is unfamiliar with the term “video art” signal a disadvantage or advantage for you? How do you feel?

Art is a universal term without borders. When I create a video, I never think about it in terms of the country I live in. To tell you the truth, I just focus on bringing out the picture I imagined in the first place… Not just Turkey, it’s the world that is slowly getting accustomed to video art. Since it was easy to copy, video wasn’t as popular as paintings or sculptures. That changed with the increase of video collectors in the recent years.

My works require big productions. They are very costly. It’s not really profitable it we look at it in universal terms. I can’t believe that this shortfall is going to change in the following years.

You are also considered to be a producer and a director. How do you define yourself in those terms?

I enjoy making videos the most. However my videos are really costly. They don’t pay for themselves. I have to do commercial jobs at that point, which is when my directorial identity steps in. Since I take care of the production part of my works from A to Z, I add on the producing identity. I want to do a feature-length film soon that is much like my videos, where I also take on the production part

“I focus on narratives that tell alternative stories of every object I see.”

I read somewhere that your creative process is realistically parallel to your life. How would you define the moment where the job starts shaping up in your head?

When things start shaping in my mind, I make short notes and mail them to myself. I collect voice mails. Sometime I close my eyes and just listen to the voices of my surroundings. My soul is pretty indecisive; I might decide on going for a walk in the morning, only to find myself at a library. I can be in another city by lunch and be back home at night. I live however my emotions lead me. Since my main issue is on identity, I feed off of people a lot. Then the text just starts forming. I never start shooting before I am done on paper. I write on paper in depth, and design images for each word. I make storyboards and plan everything and usually, a job that is definitive on paper appears on paper as is, without any changes.

Metaphors form the basis of your style. Can you talk about the names and works that made you love this style?

I’ve been interested in pictures from a very early age. I enjoy looking at pictures, discovering new worlds there. I focus on narratives that tell alternative stories of every object I see. My style formed by my approach to this art. Tayfun Pirselimoğlu is a name that I follow in this sector, who has taken on a similar approach. He is a great director. As successful as he is as a director that are apparent in his works, he is a great painter as well, as we all can see. The colors he uses in his films are phenomenal! The doors he used as metaphors in his films Hiçbir Yerde and Rıza draw you into the movie. You begin looking for the dead ends and the secret stories behind those doors.

What is your take on video art on social media?

The increase of video on social media is irrepressible. Each new application produces current video content. I have a hard time keeping up with it. Everything will transform to video in a couple of years, it’s already happening now. Now brands aim on producing videos for digital media. YouTube channels formed by newcomers increase daily around the world. Social media produces it’s own phenomenon because of videos. Instant video stories are so popular now. Video art is something different though. If it comes to social media, it looses it’s worth. Fewer copies mean a more successful outcome. The interaction between social media and video art could be great if there was a platform like an art gallery that showed private videos with passwords to VIPs.

What would you like to say about your upcoming project?

I plan it according to an exhibition each year. I am working on a project that will be finalized in March 2017. In the mean time, there are fairs. Also I am planning on doing an exhibition abroad in the upcoming months. On with the videos…