Gokden Alpman Matthews – Medusa

This exhibition round includes works provided by Gokden Alpman Matthews which will be on view in the Third Floor West Gallery from September 2 – November 21, 2026.  Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public.  The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you!  The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, November 21 from 5-7 pm.

 

About the exhibit:

The years of the COVID-19 pandemic led me to question life in a profoundly different way. What I  experienced, read, researched, and discovered during that period awakened a transformation that  may have been dormant within me for years. Disruption often reshapes the way artists see the world, and during this time I experienced my own inner metamorphosis.  

Perhaps by coincidence, perhaps by intuition, I found myself returning to Ovid’s Metamorphoses and, at the same time, encountering the ancient Medusa mosaic from Kibyra. Created nearly two  thousand years ago, the mosaic presents Medusa through the intricate opus sectile technique.  Although there can be no direct connection between Ovid and the unknown artist who created this  image, I felt as though the two works were speaking to one another across centuries. Ovid seemed  to give a voice to the silent sorrow I saw in Medusa’s eyes.  

That imagined dialogue between image and text became the foundation for this body of work. I  began creating my own interpretations of Medusa, not simply as a figure from mythology, but as a  symbol through which to explore transformation, vulnerability, strength, and the experience of  womanhood.  

For me, Medusa creates a bridge between past and present. Through these works, I consider how  ancient stories continue to resonate in contemporary life and how the struggles, perceptions, and  transformations associated with being a woman can echo across thousands of years. 

 

About the artist:

Gökden Alpman Matthews began her ceramic education at Anadolu University’s Faculty of Fine  Arts in 1989, graduating in 1993 and earning her master’s degree in 1997. Her graduate research  focused on the history, processing techniques, and chemical composition of Egyptian clay and  tiles. As part of this work, she conducted research at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the  Brooklyn Museum in New York and developed her own Egyptian clay formula, which she used to  create and exhibit ceramic jewelry. 

After completing her education, Gökden worked in several ceramic factories in Turkey, managing  product design and development while continuing her artistic research, publishing articles,  exhibiting her work, and pursuing doctoral studies. In 2004, she opened her first ceramic studio in  Istanbul, producing ceramics for museum and gift shops and creating custom ceramic and mosaic  wall panels for hotels and private institutions. 

Since 2009, Gökden has worked from her studio at Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment in Huntsville,  Alabama. She is best known for her distinctive ceramic mosaic panels and sculptures, particularly  her celebrated “Kaftans,” which combine small, colorful, individually shaped ceramic elements in  a patchwork-like composition. 

Her work is strongly influenced by the cultural and historical richness of her homeland and often  explores identity, migration, and cultural unity. Through ceramic mosaic and patchwork techniques,  she brings diverse elements together into cohesive compositions, reflecting her belief that different  cultures and identities can retain their individuality while forming a harmonious whole.