Lot 27: CANAN SENOL

CANAN SENOL B. 1970 WAQ WAQ TREE II signed, titled and dated 2009 on a label affixed to the backing board ink, collage and gold leaf on handmade paper 46 by 79cm.; 18 1/8 by 31 1/8 in.

Istanbul, Galeri X-ist, Canan Senol: Even A Cat Has A Moustache, 2010, pp. 17-18, illustrated in colour

Applying representations of herself, Senol has produced a work that revisits one of the most mystifying subjects of literature, the Waq Waq Tree. It is legendary for it bore fruit which had zoomorphic and human characters and according to a number of stories, the produce of these large trees was mammals resembling women, and they hung from the branches attached by their long hair. These voluptuous and sensual bodies would ripen and fall from the tree in the month of June and as they fell, would make the sound "Waq Waq".

Senol is renowned for involving feminist ideas into her work and for addressing the various institutions and foundations that structure her every day life. In this case, she takes another account of the legend which involves a story about men who would come to the island enticed by the women growing from the trees. These men would cut the fruit down before they had ripened purely to mate with them, after which these beautiful women would die. With this subject and composition, Senol has employed the intriguing tale as a message of the abuse of women in the medieval period as well as the present day.

Working from miniatures and chronicles inspired by mysterious Islamic texts, Senol has created a work that focuses on a gender specific subject. She examines the strength of the women, their alluring bodies and how this superficiality leads to their ultimate downfall. Had the men left the women to reach the peak of their beauty, they would have fallen free from the cherished tree, allowing for their successors to continue the progression of the tree's importance.