Constructing a Collective Memory: Ceren İren and “Superposition” at Pg Art Gallery

Pg Art Gallery invites us to a rhythmic exploration—from the mythological whispers of honeybees to the complex fabric of modern society—with Ceren İren’s exhibition titled “Superposition,” open from 3 February to 7 March 2026. For the artist, this adventure represents not merely the anatomy of an insect; it embodies the spirit of abundance, collective production, and that chaotic yet orderly moment of “swarming” when the old order ends and a new life sprouts. In İren’s world, the hive is that mystical space where individual boundaries dissolve and thousands of wings unite around a single queen, transforming into a holistic organism.

İren’s production practice mirrors the meticulous and relentless work tempo of a hive, as if performing a ritual. While pinning thousands of tiny circles punched from coloured paper onto the surface one by one, the artist recreates with her own hands the endless patience bees expend in turning nectar into honey. Each plunge of the needle into the surface recalls the continuity of task division within the hive and how small pieces accumulate to form a vast structural density. In this woven texture, the sharp distinction between bee and honeycomb eventually disappears; the surface evolves into a gigantic living entity that breathes, vibrates, and behaves as a single organism in every cell.

The quantum physics-derived concept of “Superposition,” which gives the exhibition its name, makes itself felt in both the physical and conceptual layers of the works. Just as a particle can exist in multiple states simultaneously, in İren’s pieces order and uncertainty, emptiness and density collide on the same surface. Like bees instinctively filling every void in the hive, the artist’s works draw the viewer in with an accumulating desire for density. This visual feast unites the flawless forms of bee society with humanity’s own existential efforts, leaving us face-to-face with a vital question: How can we become part of a larger, more harmonious, and fairer whole without losing our uniqueness and boundaries? This silent hum echoing through the corridors of Pg Art Gallery serves as an artistic response to modern humanity’s search for belonging.