A French interpretation of whirling dervishes by Mina Feingold

An artistic path, a passion for sculpture, a story comprising 20 years has engendered a monumental piece that startles those who see it.

French artist Mina Feingold says she would like to exhibit her sculpture “Derwich” in İstanbul.

A gigantic monument depicting a whirling dervish made by a French sculptor gives rise to both questions and admiration among art lovers. And its sculptor now wants to surprise Turkish art lovers as well by displaying her work in Turkey.

For the artist, Mina Feingold, working on such monumental sculptures is a real passion. “Actually I began with working small sculptures,” says Feingold in an interview with Today’s Zaman. “One day my father asked me whether I could make a sculpture for him. And that’s how all it began. This is how I found my personal way of expression.”

Her work, titled “Derwich,” is a first in Feingold’s career. After her first work, “Coiffeur,” which she made in 1990, “Derwich” is the first male figure Feingold has created in 20 years. “When I began making sculptures, I was working in group workshops. The models were all women,” says Feingold. “After I left the workshop, I continued making female figures. I don’t work on abstract themes, I prefer making figurative sculptures. But with ‘Derwich,’ this has changed.”

In “Derwich” — a seven-meter-tall sculpture weighing five tons — of which she made two smaller versions in 2010, Feingold says she wanted to reflect the state of being in a trance. To learn more about the Sufi dervishes more closely, Feingold went to İstanbul and watched performances of the whirling dervishes. “[Their practice] conveys a message of humanity, of love, of the connection with God, the world. [Sufism] is a philosophy that I accept.”

A philosophy to realize

With this latest work, Feingold has reached a point where she embodies this philosophy in her craft. “Actually I have managed to implement this philosophy through ‘Derwich’,” says Feingold. “People don’t usually ask me questions about my philosophy, they just say that the work is fine, that’s all. But for ‘Derwich,’ I have received a lot of questions and indeed this makes me better understand this culture. I think that this philosophy really fits me because I am very interested in the energy of the human being. It’s neither religious nor mystical, but it’s a philosophy on its own.”

What startles people about the sculpture is not only its size, but also its theme. Feingold says people wonder why she chose to make a sculpture of a whirling dervish. “When I go to the Grand Bazaar [in İstanbul], there are dervish [sculptures] in every shop. It’s almost as [symbolic as] the Eiffel Tower. I put myself in the place of [Turkish] people; they must be feeling like [a Parisian who sees] someone [a foreigner] come to Paris with a huge sculpture of the Eiffel Tower. Why would one make a sculpture of something that does not belong to his or her [culture]?”

Feingold answers her own question: “Well, why not? It’s a beautiful piece. And the idea it embodies is universal. People told me I was crazy. But I did what I believed, and I finally finished it. For me, this is a dancer who unites the energy [of the universe] and diffuses it to people, and this is a beautiful balance. My sculpture depicts the dervish in a positive way. I believe that it’s a sculpture of peace.”

Feingold truly believes in the sculpture’s positive energy. “Every morning when I came to my workshop, I saw the sunlight was always on it. So it’s very special for me,” she said.

Her next wish is to display her work in Turkey. “I’d like to hold an exhibition [in İstanbul], but I don’t know when. It’d take 15 days to transport the sculpture to Turkey [from France]. And it can be displayed either in a gallery in Taksim or at Santralİstanbul. I don’t know yet.”

via A French interpretation of whirling dervishes by Mina Feingold.