5Q2 - Eylül Aslan
In May 2021, Eylül Aslan told us how George Bataille and Anaïs Nin inspired her work – in our format 5 questions to (5Q2). Here, we talk to the artists of our Instagram takeovers about the work they show, their influences and upcoming plans.
Born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey (1990), where she went on to study French Language and Literature at Istanbul University, the photography artist Eylül Aslan eventually moved to Berlin, Germany. After 5 years she moved to Vienna, Austria. Now she works between these three cities. Her work focuses mainly on feministic issues. Through her photos she tells stories of how it feels to be inside our bodies, what it means to be alive. It is a visual journey through her life, discovering herself and exploration of her emotions.
FOTOTREFF Did you encounter a special challenge while working on the project you’re showing?
EYLÜL ASLAN During my book project Trompe L’Oeil I was using Tinder to find my models/participants and using the app was very very annoying for me. Some men were easy to convince, and some took this chance as a way to date/meet me. The rest of the photos shared here mostly stem from self portraits or pictures of friends. That is always easier.
FT Is there a photographer or artist who influenced you in a particular way?
EA I started taking photos at the same time as I started my Bachelor’s Degree in French Literature. My favourites were mostly the surrealist and symbolist French writers or poets. Some were André Breton, Marguerite Duras, Paul Éluard, André Gide. The stories and words turned into images for me. George Bataille’s Histoire de l’oeil was very influential in my growing interest in erotica (also by Anaïs Nin) and symbolism. Though I got interested in other photographers very late in my photographic progress and journey, Guy Bourdin, Man Ray, Rineke Dijkstra and Viviane Sassen quickly became my favourites.
FT Which (photo) book should everybody own (or you would like to have?)
EA Tokyo Parrots by Yoshinori Mizutani and Das Auge der Liebe by René Groebli (photography). Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm, A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy (books).
FT Can you recommend an exhibition we should go and see right away?
EA I would have to say that sadly I haven’t seen anything in a while since Corona…
FT Have you started working on a new project? Any beans to spill?
EA Yes, working on a new project about sexual arousal. This is all I can say for now 🙂
Thank you very much for this short interview and your takeover.
