Hande Eagle: Why did you choose to add London to your life over any other city on the European continent?

Seçkin Pirim: I didn't actually make a decision to move to London. It just happened that way. Before the Covid-19 pandemic I was working with a gallery in New York. During that time I opened a studio in Brooklyn so I could spend more time in New York and be present in NY's art world. However, it was the early days of the pandemic and as time passed by I realised I wasn't being very productive. I also got tired of travelling between Istanbul and New York. After the pandemic when I made the decision to close my studio there, I was working on a project in London and decided to relocate. That project had a big role to play in my decision to live in London. I hadn't thought about it before that. I now think it was the right decision and I'm very happy for it. 

H.E: What is the personal and public significance of your current exhibition at Triennale Milano?

S.P: What's special about the exhibition in Milan is that it's my first solo show in Italy. I was very excited to presented such an opportunity. I hadn't come into contact with Italian art-lovers except for various representations in art fairs. Another important factor was Triennale Milano's far-reaching audience. Secondly, this exhibition is hosting some of the largest works I've created to-date. It's also the first time such a large outdoor sculpture being exhibited on their premises.

H.E: What are your opinions on the curatorial aspects of the exhibition?

S.P: The exhibition has been curated by Tommaso Tovaglieri. We have been working on this exhibition for one and a half years. We decided together on the new and past works to be exhibited. It was a special occasion as it was the first time that I had an Italian curator evaluate my works. I'm content with our collaboration. 

H.E: All of the works on display are large-scale and either completely new and unseen or fairly recent. However, I noticed some signs of physical damage. Are you aware of this? Will you be retouching or fixing them when they return to you?

S.P: As I mentioned, the works in this exhibition are some of the largest I've exhibited abroad up until now.  Six of the twelve works on display are being seen for the first time. Although the other works included in the exhibition are not site-specific, they are works from 2024. Some of the minor damages were sustained during transportation and which I didn't have the opportunity to fix in-situ. However, some of the damages you photographed are unfortunately new. What can I say... People like to touch art. Of course, I won't let the works become part of a collection in their damaged state. Once the exhibition ends all the damage has to be repaired. 

H.E: Gate of Eye - situated right outside Triennale Milano - is a monumental work. What does it mean to you? Why was it positioned the way it has been? When you stand in front of it, you can see trees and the cityscape, like a window that opens out to life from the eye. If you stand behind it, you see the entrance doors of the museum. Did you intend to make a reference to the ‘evil eye’ when you painted it that shade of blue? Is there ‘evil’ in the art world? Or, is the world outside ‘evil’?

S.P: If we think about the exhibition as a whole, Gate of Eye is actually like a gaze that looks from the past to the present. From antiquity to the present. It also acts as an entrance to the exhibition. As you picked up on it, it's a multi-faceted work.  It does, as you assumed, make a reference to the evil eye. That's why I painted it that shade of blue. I have an evil eye that I have been wearing for years; it has spiritual importance for me. In one way, this work is the "protective evil eye" of this exhibition. To answer the latter part of your question, for me there is only one distinction in relation to humans. That is the distinction between good people and bad people. Other than that, I don't judge people for their religion, language, race or beliefs. Having said that, there are those that carry negative energy in all walks of life.  

H.E: How do you position yourself as an artist in today's global political climate? Do you feel that your art is political?

S.P: It is impossible for an intelligent and functioning mind to not be political. As an artist I don't choose to reflect upon this in my work, which is a place of happiness and respite, and I wish to keep pure. We are subjected to far too much political pollution in our individual lives and we struggle against that. When I work on my art I choose take my own experiences as a starting point and try to bring to the surface subjects from the depths of my own world.