The Phoenix

Food coloring & acrylic on canvas, 70 x 50 cm, 3.000 Turkish Liras

The Phoenix has its origins in ancient Persian culture as the Simurgh, a gigantic bird. A similar creature reborn from its own ashes is also found in Egyptian and Turkish mythologies as Phenix and Huma/Tugrul, respectively. It’s said the Phoenix lived for thousands of years, thereby possessing all the world’s knowledge. Perched atop the Tree of Knowledge on mythical Mount Kaf, each time it took flight the tree’s leaves trembled. This caused its seeds to fall to the ground— producing plants capable of curing humanity’s diseases.

Inspired by a 13th-century Persian tile