For this new series of works, Yılmaz drew inspiration from various matriarchal figures from her own geographical origin: Anatolia. This area, also known as upper Mesopotamia, was the cradle of several ancient female figures, including goddesses such as Inanna (Ishtar), Tomris, Umay, Cybele (Kubileya) and more.
Archaeological findings suggest this land may have been home to a decentered matriarchy in which goddess figures and other female deities were revered and even nomadic communities of women as warriors and hunters, called Amazons, undoubtedly existed in real life. Yılmaz explored this period through a feminist lens.
She follows the gesture of archeological excavations, carving layers of plywood to reveal hidden patterns. For the new exhibition, Yılmaz created works inspired by Neolithic figures, made in 3D-printed metal.
Born in Istanbul, based in Amsterdam, Yılmaz has participated in various biennials and museum exhibitions, including the 59th Venice Biennale (2022), the 4th Karachi Biennale (2024), the 16th Istanbul Biennale (2019), and the 11th Shanghai Biennale (2016). Her work has been featured in Tenminste Houdbaar Tot at Museum Arnhem (2022) and PERFORMATIK 17 in Brussels. She was an artist-in-residence at ACC in Gwangju and is an alumna of the Rijksakademie in the Netherlands and has been a tutor and researcher at Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam.