Erdem Taşdelen


The Elements of Discontent

Inkjet prints on Hahnemühle photo rag paper
Various dimensions
2015



The Elements of Discontent is a series of printed digital collages that are meticulously constructed following a strict process. Each composition acts as a visual representation of a different academic psychology book that is borrowed from a public library, from which all the drawings, charts, diagrams and graphs are scanned and all textual information erased. The gathered material is used at original sizes without omissions, which dictates the sizes of the final compositions.

The elimination of the contextual significance of the images in these publications allows for a study of the field of psychology as it is visually represented through methods of quantification and abstraction. Devoid of decipherable messages, the collages resemble complex puzzles and point to the impossibility of encapsulating subjective experience.


Erdem Taşdelen - The Elements of Discontent (2015)
Installation view: It Is Almost That, Or Gallery, Vancouver, 2017. Photo by Dennis Ha.

Erdem Taşdelen - The Elements of Discontent (2015)
Installation view: It Is Almost That, Or Gallery, Vancouver, 2017. Photo by Dennis Ha.

Erdem Taşdelen - The Elements of Discontent (2015)
Installation view: Meet Me by the Tree, Öktem & Aykut, Istanbul, 2016.

Erdem Taşdelen - The Elements of Discontent (2015)
The Science of Self-Control
88.9 x 88.9 cm (35" x 35")


Erdem Taşdelen - The Elements of Discontent (2015)
Mental Imagery in the Child: A Study of the Development of Imaginal Representation
73.7 x 73.7 cm (29" x 29")


Erdem Taşdelen - The Elements of Discontent (2015)
Essentials of Psychological Testing
101.6 x 101.6 cm (40" x 40")


Erdem Taşdelen - The Elements of Discontent (2015)
Grow or Die: The Unifying Principle of Transformation
96.5 x 55.9 cm (38" x 22")


Erdem Taşdelen - The Elements of Discontent (2015)
Psychological Testing – Principles, Applications and Issues (2005)
104.1 x 73.7 cm (41" x 29")


Erdem Taşdelen - The Elements of Discontent (2015)
Strategies of Genius
88.9 x 63.5 cm (35" x 25")


Erdem Taşdelen - The Elements of Discontent (2015)
Public Appearances Private Realities: The Psychology of Self-Monitoring
33 x 43.2 cm (13" x 17")


Erdem Taşdelen - The Elements of Discontent (2015)
The Structure and Measurement of Intelligence
71.1 x 53.3 cm (28" x 21")


Erdem Taşdelen - The Elements of Discontent (2015)
Psychological Testing – Principles, Applications and Issues (1991)
50.8 x 45.7 cm (20" x 18")