The Bronx Museum 2025 AIM Fellow
Nazli Efe
ARTIST STATEMENT
Being half Turkish, a country surrounded by Water on three sides, and half Cypriot; an island in the Mediterranean Sea, Nazli Efe (she/her) grew up constantly interacting with Water.
Water is a ritualistic, meditative, and performative medium through which Efe accesses her unconscious mind. She draws inspiration from molybdomancy (kurşun dökme), an ancient divination practice in Turkey. This technique involves melting lead and pouring it into cold Water, where the resulting, nebulous lead shapes are then interpreted. Following the tradition, in her recent studies, Efe creates artifacts of personal history by dropping molten wax into Water. The resulting amorphous wax forms resemble the Rorschach test, evoking her memories.
In her latest body of work, Efe explores the preservation of recollections, employing both medical and culinary techniques along with materials that embody themes of conservation and care. She uses gauze, vacuum-sealed bags, beeswax, and salt to preserve these fragments of memory.
Efe discusses the dialogue between immateriality and materiality, permanence, and ephemerality from a mystical aspect. Her installations include material experimentation—Efe transforms materials in an alchemical way, referencing the ever-changing quality of memories. Memory follows form, and form follows memory.
Biography
Nazli Efe grew up in Turkey and Cyprus, holding both nationalities. She studied Architecture at Bahcesehir University in Istanbul and Virginia Tech University in Washington, DC. After five years of working in the creative industries, she earned her MFA with high honors from Pratt Institute in 2022. As an interdisciplinary artist, Efe creates installations, sculptures, and performances. Her work explores the connection between Water, the unconscious mind, and memory.
Her work has been exhibited at RAINRAIN Gallery, the Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Long Island City Artists, and Field Projects, and she has held an online exhibition with the New Art Dealers Alliance. Efe is the recipient of several awards, including the Stutzman Family Foundation Sculpture Award Special Recognition, and the Pratt Outstanding Merit Award. Her work has been featured in Hyperallergic and Whitehot magazines. She participated in the Pratt>Forward Residency Program in 2024 and was awarded a 2025 AIM Fellowship at The Bronx Museum. Since 2022, Efe has been a Member Artist at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts Studio Program in New York.
