Serkan Sarıer’s first solo exhibition at Pilevneli Gallery, "Swarm," uses the concept of a honey bee swarm to explore queer identity and societal expectations. He focuses on the male honey bee, or drone, as an allegory. Drones, which cannot feed themselves and exist solely to mate, are expelled from the hive if they fail their duties, mirroring the rejection queer individuals face in conservative communities.

 

Sarıer draws from his experience growing up queer in Hanau, Germany, within a conservative Turkish working-class community. His artwork parallels the lifecycle of male honey bees, from larvae to adult, with the transformation of young queer men. The exhibition shows male figures in various stages of transformation, questioning societal responsibility for individuals' well-being and highlighting the often surreal and isolating nature of their experiences.