(...) It is tempting to read these paintings-within-paintings as a contemporary version of aristocratic portraiture. Historical rulers surrounded themselves with objects that signalled power, status and achievement. Yüce's protagonists are similarly accompanied by symbolic attributes, although theirs point inward rather than outward. Instead of military victories or dynastic wealth, they reveal fights (and victories?) over one’s own demons.
In some sense, Yüce's carefully staged interiors feel closer to theatre sets than portraits. The paintings hanging behind her protagonists become characters in their own right. Symbolic dramas unfold in the background while the figures themselves remain almost still.
▼ I Would Not Have Been Born If I Knew
▼ Excessive Risk
