Turkish-born visual artist Şakir Gökçebağ (previously) deconstructs everyday objects, often eradicating their original functionality in order to form humorous installations. His works are created from items one might find around the house such as hula hoops, brooms, toilet paper rolls, and pairs of worn shoes. The later series of altered footwear spans more than 15 years, and has been installed in surreal arrangements both inside and out of the gallery.For these pieces Gökçebağ chops the front toe off of neutral-toned work boots and other sturdy footwear. He then arranges the pieces in circles, rows, and parallel lines that split elevated platforms. The installations appear digitally composed, and playing a trick on the viewer as they attempt to decode the visual manipulation. Gökçebağ has lived and worked in Hamburg, Germany since 2001. You can see more of his oddly arranged objects, like this belt that has been sliced and folded to appear like a ribbon, on his Instagram.
