KARYA ÖNER

The Self as Heterotopia

Fine Art and Design

The Self as Heterotopia reflects on Michel Foucault’s eponymous concept, depicting a “space within a space” which offers an alternative to its original environment while simultaneously reflecting its surroundings. How does collage enable you to approach and develop this concept?
Collage has always been a therapeutic method for me. Its inherent limitations paradoxically create a sense of freedom, allowing me to work within constraints while still exploring open-ended possibilities. This project began with a shift in my thinking: rather than focusing on a fixed goal, I was more interested in the intuitive process. I used fragments to build spatial
relationships, and the work evolved organically. In relation to Foucault’s concept of heterotopia, these spaces operate through different systems and hierarchies than those of the external world. As an eclectic and inherently fragmentary technique, collage formally reflects this. Its discontinuities, juxtapositions, and layered structures mirror the heterogeneous nature of heterotopic space.

The original visual sources of your collages are fragmented to such an extent that I have trouble recognizing them. What motifs are you working with and is their origin important for you?
My earlier work used a mixed media approach to combine found images with paint, deconstructing them to create painterly compositions. The images’ origins were not important to me then. For my graduate project, however, I started using my own photographs. The imagery is still fragmented, but a bit more visible and traceable. The photographs come from places that
are personally meaningful to me and I aimed to reconstruct them into layered, heterotopic atmospheres. I also worked with plexiglass, emphasizing their fleeting nature – moments that pass in front of us but cannot be fully grasped. I try to evoke a more collective sense of something close to us, yet always slightly out of reach, almost like an illusion.

Using plexiglass and video projection provided your work with elements of transparency and reflection, and made it a complex installation. Did this help you discover some new aspects in it?
Using these materials and media allowed me to think of the work as a single, unified piece rather than separate elements. I wanted everything to come together– moving images and still images coexisting and interacting. The video also includes layered, collage-like sequences and, along with the plexiglass, it creates shifting atmospheres and colors. Transparent surfaces introduce reflections and overlaps, extending the collage into the surrounding environment. The installation format helped me see my practice more holistically, rather than focusing on individual aspects. This approach aligns more closely with my aim to create an immersive environment.

photo: Polina Davydenko