Bubi

Collage with Stitch, 1987, thread and mixed media on paper, 145 x 170 cm

In the 1980s, the patches I created by gluing and stitching pieces of fabric or paper onto paper and textile surfaces gradually developed into a body of work that Yalçın Sadak described as “Stitched Collages.” Nevertheless, I prefer to call these works simply *Patches*, because they remind me of the patches my mother used to sew onto the elbows of my sweaters and jackets when I was a child. Back then, these patches allowed me to run, jump, and play without worrying about tearing my clothes; in other words, they set me free. Now, by gluing and stitching these patches onto my paintings, I wonder whether I am returning to my childhood—or, more precisely, to the safe environment in which my mother protected and cared for me.