Aesthetic Primitive — Erin Nicole Power Printmaking

Aesthetic Primitive: Carved Interiors and Embodied Shelter

The Aesthetic Primitive series emerged from drawings made on location during a residency in Cappadocia, Türkiye. While working inside the region’s ancient, hand-carved cave dwellings, I became deeply aware of the sensation of being held within space. The interiors felt protective and intimate, shaped by soft transitions rather than sharp boundaries. Curving walls, rounded doorways, and gently shifting surfaces created an atmosphere of warmth and containment, markedly different from the rigid geometries of contemporary architecture.

The title Aesthetic Primitive comes from this encounter with the visual and bodily logic of these carved interiors. Each space was formed through the repeated arc of a human arm, producing curvilinear forms that feel inherently connected to the body. In researching these shapes, I became interested in ideas from neurological aesthetics and theories of primitive aesthetics, which suggest that curved, organic forms—those that echo patterns found in the natural world—are deeply rooted in human perception and appear consistently across ancient cultures.

What struck me most was how these interiors acted as a reversal of the exterior landscape. While the surrounding rock formations of Cappadocia have been eroded outward by wind, water, and time, the cave interiors were shaped inward through deliberate human action. This inversion—erosion versus carving, exterior versus interior—became central to the work. The paintings negotiate this relationship through softened transitions, layered surfaces, and organic forms, reflecting a space shaped by touch, time, and embodied experience rather than precision or permanence.

This body of work was created as a result of field research conducted in Uçhisar, Cappadocia, Türkiye, in November 2024 as part of the A.R.C. Residency hosted by Taşkonaklar Hotel. A selection of works were displayed at Ambidexter Gallery, Istanbul, Türkiye, in January, 2026 and available through them.