STATEMENT OF WORK

We, Mehmet and Kazim, continuously expand the conventional concept of painting. Our world is closely linked to our personalities and the numerous similarities in our biographies, starting with the fact that we are cousins and share the surname Akal.

Our artistic background, rooted in Hip Hop, Breakdance, and Graffiti, is evident in the formal appearance of the recurring motifs and figures, as well as in quotations from song lyrics and various symbols, which also point to the influence of comics. And then, of course, there is perhaps the most important similarity of all: We are children of Turkish guest workers in Germany, which humorously resonates as a given reality in the subtext of our works and in the overall staging of the Kissing Cousins. The influence of numerous art historical role models, especially Philip Guston, but also André Butzer, Martin Kippenberger, Markus Oehlen, and Albert Oehlen, as well as Peter Saul, should not be underestimated.

Our art is not thematically exhausted in our own biographies. We also scrutinize the art world and its inherent structures and codes with perpetual humor. The seriousness of the economic and commercial aspects of the art business is thus repeatedly and ironically broken by us, mixing our own biographies with the conventions of the art world. Already during our time as students at the Munich Art Academy, we realized that the artistic value of graffiti is rated rather low within the realm of Fine Arts.

The use of humor and irony as stylistic devices becomes instantly clear when looking at our works. We show that we do not confront prejudices and clichés about ourselves or our identity as German Turks with a moralizing finger, but expose them with a kissing mouth and mischievous wit for what they are – nothing more than outdated stereotypes.

In the past two years, we have further developed our artistic practice, integrating new inspirations and techniques into our work. In 2023, we moved into a small flat in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NYC, which served as both a workspace and a living space. As we wandered the streets of the metropolis and observed people, we absorbed everyday phenomena and processed them directly. For the first time, we decided to create our works in black, where white and red used to prevail. Black Paintings came into being, exploring a world that is both urban and lifelike. Our figures, strongly reminiscent of graffiti throw-ups, hurry through the nocturnal city, always in motion, sometimes singing, sometimes bent over, but always emphatical. They are grounded by shopping bags from the bodega, which they hop through from one event to the next. Despite the darkness of the night, they always find their way back to love.

During our stay in New York, we experienced the city as an inexhaustible source of inspiration. The aesthetics of graffiti were reappropriated into carefully balanced paintings created with black markers, charcoal, oil, and acrylic on both smooth and rough surfaces. The figures in our paintings dissolve and absorb everything around them into an indiscernible bubble. These charmingly overwhelmed incognitos, crushed by responsibility, capitalism, discrimination, consumerism, or gentrification, walk around with plastic bags with their recent purchases, always smiling from ear to ear, on the brink of despair.