Tate St Ives: Ahmet Dogu Ipek, Iron Earth Copper Sky

This is a smaller exhibition in Gallery 10 of Tate St Ives until 8th March 2026.

I really enjoyed this exhibition even though it only consists of six works.  Ahmet is from Turkey but was given a two month residency in St Ives, where he developed new work inspired by the local landscape.  

Ahmet has a series of work inspired by the standing stones of Anatolia which he adapted to St Ives with four new works on display at the Tate.  These works are Mars, Jupiter, Mercury and Venus and evoke neolithic standing stones, the geology of the area and the metals mined here.  I loved the tiny glint of metals shining through on works that looked so perfect, they could otherwise have been prints.

On the opposite wall were two pieces that were completed over a number of years and must have been meditative pieces worked on between others.  They were both huge, maybe three metres long?  They appeared to be thick white paper painted black.  The images were created using tiny pin pricks.  While you don't see any holes, you see the white of the paper.  Where the most pricks are placed, the most solid white is achieved and looking really really closely, the texture appears fluffy.  I really wanted to run my hands over the piece and feel its texture.  Of course to do so is sacrilegious, it would be damaging to that delicate texture and also discolour that perfect white.  The two works were cosmic, with a black hole and a cloud constellation of stars.  I spent a long time looking at these pieces and could have spent longer.

I intend to visit the gallery again before this exhibition finishes and look forward to seeing these pieces again. *Edit* I have visited again and enjoyed this exhibition just as much!  In fact, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury and Venus became even more astounding as I realised they were actually watercolours.  Hoping to see this exhibition one last time before it closes.

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