EN
Mediterranean
Mediterranean. Istanbul, 1978-1980. Iron.
Photograph: Yildirim Arici

She is one of Turkey’s most famous monumental artworks. Immediately after her inauguration in Istanbul, Koman received the Simavi Prize (Artist of the Year 1981).

She is made of about 120 metal strips, which, when put all together, reproduce the shape of a female body, in personification of the Mediterranean Sea.

This sculpture is based on an optical illusion that gives the spectator the impression that the shapes of the Mediterranean changes like waves while one moves around the sculpture. This singular feeling in front of the Mediterranean led Ilhan Koman to regard her as one of the first sculptures playing on the principle of holography.

Scientific phenomenon: optical illusions