Ian Berry, the British artist who creates artwork from used and discarded denim, recently unveiled “Secrets in the Garden” at the Presidential National Library in Ankara, Turkey.
The exhibition highlights the beauty of recycling ordinary materials. At the center of the exhibition is “Secret Garden,” the title work from Berry’s “Behind Closed Doors” exhibition, which has also been exhibited in museums in Europe and the U.S.
Remade to reflect the environment, the latest edition fills the library’s Divan Hall with roses, lavender, pansies, vines, plants and a star-shaped pond full of koi fish, waterlilies and pads, all made from denim. A pagoda with a dome emphasizes the room’s architecture.
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The exhibition was requested by Turkey’s first lady Emine Erdoğan. Eliminating waste and promoting recycling are central priorities for Erdoğan. She is also the founder of the Zero Waste Foundation and chairperson of the UN Zero Waste Advisory Board.
The first lady attended the exhibition’s ribbon cutting ceremony last month, where Berry presented her with a bouquet of flowers made from waste textile fabrics.
In a statement, Erdoğan said the exhibition offers a powerful narrative on how discarded and forgotten denim fabrics find new meaning. “It speaks of remembering, connecting, and rooting oneself in the future,” she said. “I wholeheartedly congratulate our artist, who places sustainability at the center of art as a cultural responsibility, and everyone who contributed to this exhibition.”
“Secrets in the Garden” includes other works by Berry, including a self-portrait, Lock Down Living Room, Paradise Lost, Denim Legends and Surveillance, Berry’s denim interpretation of closed-circuit television systems in London.
The exhibition runs through October.
