Originally conceived as a record of stillness, this series has evolved into Bathymetric Studies, a mapping of depth and transformation. Adopting the visual language of oceanography, the linework functions as a sounding line, measuring, charting, and reorganizing the submerged topography. This process reveals a state where integrated tensions become formative. It is an invitation to navigate the terrain as a collective, grounded in the interdependence of shared experience and resolution.

Large-scale deep blue painting on canvas by Ilayda Mercankaya Visual Artist, with organic white lines that resemble an underwater flowing river.

The work perceives life as a continuous stream of change. It makes tangible how communities sustain themselves through interdependence and the constant accumulation of small actions. The visual elements coexist without dominating one another; existing tensions no longer destabilize, but rather shape the composition.

The visual field allows for variation without collapsing into fragmentation. Integration does not eliminate pressure; it absorbs and transforms it.

Installation view of the work Der Fluss by Ilayda Mercankaya, in an exhibition at Württembergischer Kunstverein Stuttgart in 2025.
Blue colored meditative painting on canvas featuring white and blue organic line art resembling underwater caves, created by Ilayda Mercankaya.

This artwork visualizes a state of stabilization. It demonstrates that finding balance does not mean returning to an origin, but rather constructing an entirely new reality.

It establishes a foundation resting on a quiet, universal solidarity; the knowledge that pain unites us as a human constant, not only in shared experience, but also in shared resolution.

Bright neon pink painting on canvas with white and red organic line art by Ilayda Mercankaya Visual Artist.

This high-intensity environment enforces a shared physical experience. Prolonged observation saturates the retina, inducing a temporary negative afterimage washed in phantom green; a lingering ghost of the intensity present during its creation. This biological transience is mirrored in the physical materials. The fugitive neon base is designed to gradually fade over time, mimicking the retinal afterimage. As the color recedes, the structural Iron Oxide lines emerge with stark contrast, stripping away temporary visual noise to expose a permanent, stabilized foundation.

Close-up on bright neon pink painting by Ilayda Mercankaya, focusing on topographic contours.

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