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Jale Soysal's Soft Mutations, is a new collection of surreal avian sculptures exploring themes of yearning, freedom, and transformation.
Join our online preview list for early access to the artworks and pre-sales.
Opening reception: Jul 25th, 5 - 8pm. This is a free event. As Beinart Gallery is a licensed venue, any minors attending the opening reception will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult.
This exhibition will run from Jul 26th - Aug 16th 2026, and will coincide with Adam Elliot's Melancholy and Marmalade, Jessica Ng's I am Home and John Kenn Mortensen's Ligfærd.
Centred around avian forms, Soft Mutations continues Soysal’s interest in blending nature, surrealism, and visceral imagery. Across the collection, birds are gently twisted from their natural states into otherworldly beings: some ethereal, some playful, all altered enough to suggest deeper mythologies beneath the surface.
Drawn to birds for their extraordinary diversity, beauty, and association with freedom, Soysal uses avian symbology as a vessel for longing, escape, and whimsy. The works range from unnerving to gentle, balancing beauty with yearning, and fantasy with emotional unease.
For Soysal, the mutations and visceral elements within these sculptures speak to identity, transformation, and the limits of the self. “I cannot sprout wings and fly away from life, and I childishly resent that,” the artist explains. “The mutations in these artworks represent my discomfort in an imperfect world and my inability to change what I fundamentally am.”
While each sculpture stands as its own surreal encounter, the works also subtly connect with one another, offering glimpses into a larger imagined world. Perhaps a nod to her animation background, Soysal’s world-building invites viewers to piece together their own narratives, tracing threads of lore between the creatures and imagining how each being might belong to the same strange, dream-like world.
Jale Soysal is a Melbourne-based artist specialising in animation, design, and sculpture. A 2019 graduate from RMIT with a Bachelor of Animation & Interactive Media, Jale has turned her lifelong art obsession into a burgeoning career. Her work draws inspiration from animated films, media from her childhood, and various comics and art books.