“An ve Ebediyet”

“The Instant and Eternity” 70x100 cm Acrylic, resin& mixed media on canvas / gold framed Part of a series with the work “Grand Lethe” Lethe and Rome: Two Symbols of Time Lethe in mythology and Rome as the “Eternal City” may seem like opposing symbols at first glance—but together, they carry profound meaning. Lethe represents the cleansing of past burdens, the possibility of a new beginning. Rome, on the other hand, is a city that has endured countless destructions, reconstructions, and transformations throughout history—yet it has always remained standing. That is why it is called the “Eternal City.” Rome carries a layered history; it never forgets. To walk in Rome is to walk with time itself. Gilles Deleuze describes Rome as a fold in time, a city shaped by overlapping temporal layers. Here, a contrast and a complement emerge: • Lethe: Liberation from memory. • Rome: Eternity through remembrance. From this perspective, a person in need of Lethe seeks to forget themselves and begin anew—while a city like Rome exists by remembering. One is an inward search for eternity, the other an outward one. Forgetting and memory meet at the delicate line we call infinity. This series explores the two faces of time through two rivers. Lethe speaks of the erasure of personal memory—the purifying silence of forgetting. The river in Rome, the Tiber, flows alongside a city that exists through memory, bearing the weight of its history. These two rivers, flowing in similar tones, connect as metaphors: one for inner transformation, the other for historical continuity. On one side, the peace of forgetting; on the other, the vastness of memory. And where they meet—rebirth. A visual dialogue between oblivion and memory — where Lethe flows through the moment, and Rome stands in eternity.