the turkish sun
The print series Travel with the Sun, Moon Ray, Fire of the Other, and Sunstorm is the result of Julie Peter’s artistic journey to three international printmaking studios: Dou Print Studio in Ankara, Derin Print Shop in Istanbul, and the MGLC (International Centre of Graphic Arts) in Ljubljana. The aim with the trip was to explore how printmaking techniques are practiced in different countries. Allowing the work to be enriched by the unique traditions and experiences of local printmakers.
Julie Peter paints on marble at the Dou Print Studio
The project began in Ankara with lithography printing on marble and limestone. The manière noire ("black method") was employed here, a technique that involves sculpting light out of the image and incorporating subtle, luminous lines. The journey’s second stop was the Derin Print Shop in Istanbul. There, multi-colored intaglio prints were created using the Japanese chine-collé paper technique, in which a thin sheet is adhered during the printing process to alter form, color, and texture. Peter also worked on achieving light color tones in the prints—a highly technically demanding process. At the final stop, MGLC in Ljubljana, lithography and screen printing were combined to integrate tactile and visual effects such as mother-of-pearl luster and gold leaf, as seen in the artwork Sunstorm.
The motifs in the series draw strong inspiration from a road trip through Turkey in a campervan. Impressions of mountainous landscapes, nature, and Turkish symbolism blend with the concept of traveling alongside the sun. At the same time, the works convey a cosmic perspective, exploring exoplanets, life in space, and the idea that we are all made of stardust.
A prominent, recurring theme in the series is how the human eye organizes and interprets the world through symmetry and pattern recognition — even in situations where patterns are ambiguous or entirely absent. The works also explore artificial intelligence as both a technological and communicative phenomenon. The artist highlights AI’s potential to forge new connections, as well as the implications for our need to think for ourselves, investigate, and build relationships. Peter’s graphic series thus embodies a modern duality: a shared fascination with, and apprehension regarding, human technological advancement.
See all of Julie Peters artworks here.