Even though we are the only living species that knows that it will die, we have a hard time admitting this to ourselves. What we've been through in the last three years, when we had to face this reality, has been like a nightmare...

  The infectious virus called Covid-19, which emerged in China/Wuhan at the end of 2019, showed its effect all over the world in a short time, and the World Health Organization declared a Pandemic in March 2020. Like everyone else, my life was turned upside down by fear, anxiety and panic. As time passed, the rate of spread of the virus and deaths increased. In order to prevent the spread of the virus, we had to implement measures such as curfews, the wearing of masks, hand cleaning and social distancing.

  Unfortunately, I witnessed the death of many people I knew in the period between the discovery of Covid-19 vaccines and their widespread use. Masks became a part of our lives. We were afraid to approach someone without wearing a mask. Constantly disinfecting our hands became part of our daily routines.. More cleaning, hygiene was needed. Cities seemed abandoned due to curfews. Everyone had returned to their homes, that is, to their inner world. This trauma inspired me for the ¨Hands on Mask¨ project and I built the motto of the project on this, 'We have withdrawn from the streets of the city, we have returned to ourselves'...

  Thermal camera images that control the body temperature of people at the entrances of crowded, closed areas (airports, shopping malls, hospitals, etc.), our hands that we constantly disinfect, MR (Magnetic resonance) images that show the inside of our bodies, the masks we use have all become the materials that make up my designs. I drew the hands on the mask, combining the map images of cities with empty streets and the likeness of the veins inside our body.

  I dedicate these hands to the people who lost their lives in the cities most affected by the Pandemic. I would like to express my endless thanks to the doctors and scientists who have made extraordinary efforts for our health during this process.