Projection of the “I” in the “Mirror”
The book Mirror contains the narrative and fiction of the images that İsmet Doğan's artworks will create. These images are “the mapping of a body that gives unknown images,” which İsmet Doğan expresses through looking in the mirror. As we enter into a dialogue with the mirror, we experience a journey from internal reflection to an external way of seeing, following a tangible and visible bodily mapping. This dialogue questions the interaction between the viewer and the artwork, encouraging active participation against the passivity of viewers in the modern era.
The idea of publishing the book Mirror, which began during the pandemic, was completed in 2025. This journey, defined as “preparation for death,” offers us an archival work featuring photographs of İsmet Doğan's artworks and writings by authors who reveal the conceptual maps of these works. In the book Mirror, İsmet Doğan, as an artist critical of modernity's power, has created his own archive without adhering to the uniform archive understanding of modernization. With this awareness, he maintains his belief that what is written is more effective and enduring than what is conveyed verbally.
-Zeynep Yıldız
