Corridor Gallery presents ‘Hüzün: Memories of Istanbul’ by Casper artist Gabrielle Reeves

If you go …

* When: Opens 7 p.m. MARCH 29. Shows 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. MARCH 30 and noon to 4 p.m. APRIL 1

* Where: The Corridor Gallery, 120 E. Second St.

* Opening reception: 7 p.m. to midnightMARCH 29. Includes a cash bar and a chance to meet the artist.

* Info: www.thecorridorgallery.com,gabriellereeves.com

CASPER:

‘Hüzün: Memories of Istanbul’

The Corridor Gallery presents a solo show by Casper artist Gabrielle Reeves. “Hüzün: Memories of Istanbul” represents Hüzün, a visceral Turkish state of mind, according to a press release.

Hüzün, the Turkish word for melancholy, refers to a type of spiritual anguish suffered in growing apart from God in a pursuit of worldly pleasures, Reeves wrote in her artist statement.

In a more modern sense, hüzün goes beyond the history of the word.

“Hüzün is not the melancholy of a single person, but a dark mood shared by millions of people together, by the entire city of Istanbul. Although a grim concept, hüzün is central to Istanbul culture; it binds Istanbullus together, and is shared with pride throughout the community,” Greeves wrote.

Reeves earned a bachelor’s degree in painting from the University of Wyoming. Several of her paintings have been commissioned and purchased by the University of Wyoming and can be viewed in various buildings throughout the campus.

As a student, she took a summer drawing class in Turkey. She moved to Istanbul in 2011 working as a freelance artist and English teacher.

She now lives in Casper and plans to attend graduate school.

When she first got to Istanbul, she didn’t understand hüzün.

“In the first months, I characterized the feeling as a magic, or dream-like quality that possesses every detail of the strange and beautiful city. Indeed, it is a kind of magic, a type of collective awareness that is unique to Istanbul,” she wrote.

“However, as the months wore on, and winter settled over the Bosphorus, I felt the presence of hüzün so tangibly I could almost touch it, and I experienced the heavy weight of Istanbul for the first time.”

via Corridor Gallery presents ‘Hüzün: Memories of Istanbul’ by Casper artist Gabrielle Reeves.