Azade Koker

Condition: This work is in good condition. Colour: The catalogue illustration is accurate; although, the overall tonality is less red and the skull cut-out collages stand out against the background with more shine and contrast in the original work.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

There are two prominent periods in Köker's series Pose in which she observes both the Renaissance and Romanticism. The first is portrayed in the present work Bathsheba; it teaches the re-awakening within the Renaissance as well as the aspect of humanism in which artists respected the human being solely for being human. With the essence of the Renaissance in mind, Köker also responds to the works of one of the primary figures of this period, Lucas Cranach.

The Biblical story of Bathsheba tells how this woman, originally the mistress of Uriah, a Hittite soldier, was later seduced and became the wife of King David and gave birth to Solomon. In the tale of David and Bathsheba, it is David who first sees Bathsheba from his rooftop and immediately desires her, stopping at nothing to make this youthful beauty his wife. In Cranach's painting, he presents the whole scene with the King and his men in the upper left corner voyeuristically observing Bathsheba and her handmaidens who fill the main body of the canvas. Köker took the significance of Bathsheba's beauty and appeal to David and used this in her version of the Biblical story, focusing solely on the desirability of the woman who would go on to give birth to a controversial yet powerful leader; Solomon.

Re-positioning subjects from Cranach's painting into her own space as homage, Köker also uses it as a way to retrieve the memories which have now surfaced into another, more effective, dimension. The inclusion of the various layers in Köker's work allows the existence of history to be prominent in her work and furthermore, she embeds fragments of this into the entire production.

Working with chemically altered paper, she tears it into pieces, giving each of them a new form and then recombining them to create the montages consisting of multiple layers. The transparency of the materials and the lucidity of the colours are important characteristics of this artistic realisation attesting to Köker's extraordinary talent with over thirty years of experience.