Murat \u00dclker, Chairman of GODIVA and pladis, said:<\/p>\n
I became acquainted with Ekrem Yal\u00e7ndas work before I met him personally. Works from different periods of his career have long been part of the Yldz Holding Art Collection, so this collaboration represents a new chapter in a relationship built over many years. That makes it particularly meaningful to bring his artistic language together with GODIVA as we celebrate the brands 100th anniversary.<\/p>\n
The art does not stop at the box. It invites you to indulge not only in the chocolate, but in the art itself. The chocolate may be enjoyed today, but the box can be kept. Years from now, it may bring back the memory of this moment and perhaps even be passed from one generation to another, not simply as packaging, but as an object with its own artistic and emotional value.<\/p>\n
GODIVA has endured for a century, and our hope is that it will continue to be part of peoples lives for centuries to come. I like to think that these pieces can carry a little of GODIVAs first century into its next, and perhaps much further.<\/p>\n
EKREM YAL\u00c7INDA: I STARTED NOT WITH THE BOX, BUT WITH THE CHOCOLATE ITSELF<\/strong><\/p>\n Ekrem Yal\u00e7nda said:<\/p>\n As I began working on the design, I realised that I kept thinking about the chocolate itself and could not resist the desire to give form to the chocolate. So I began not with GODIVAs exterior, the box, but from within, with the chocolate itself.<\/p>\n Feels Like Home is the feeling evoked by the smell and taste of chocolate. For me, home is not simply a physical place. It can be a person, a memory, a familiar scent or a taste that takes us back to something we cherish. Throughout the process, I wanted the work to evoke GODIVA while also remaining unmistakably my own.<\/p>\n Yal\u00e7nda added:<\/p>\n On GODIVAs 100th anniversary, I imagined happiness becoming not only something to be tasted, but something to be seen, remembered and cherished.<\/p>\n The GODIVA Art Edition will roll out globally from October, with launch dates varying by market, including the UAE from mid-October and the US from November.<\/p>\n ABOUT EKREM YAL\u00c7INDA<\/p>\n Born in G\u00f6lba in 1964, Ekrem Yal\u00e7nda completed his art education at Dokuz Eyl\u00fcl University in zmir and at the St\u00e4delschule in Frankfurt, where he earned his masters degree under Hermann Nitsch.<\/p>\n As a contemporary artist who has lived and worked in Europe for many years, Yal\u00e7nda has developed a distinctive visual language rooted in geometric and floral motifs, repetition, rhythm and interwoven patterns, creating a bridge between art and design. His work has been exhibited extensively in T\u00fcrkiye and internationally and is represented in museum, institutional, corporate and private collections including Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Museum Haus Konstruktiv in Zurich, the Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik, Istanbul Modern, Sammlung Goetz in Munich, Borusan Contemporary and Yldz Holding.<\/p>\n For any press queries, please contact the pladis press office on +44 151 230 4899 \/ <\/em><\/strong>press.office@pladisglobal.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/NewsRoom\/AttachmentNg\/34248f81-8fc5-4b69-b69a-7e298be770c1<\/a><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ml.globenewswire.com\/media\/MmYyODUwZTctMWUzNS00YTNhLWFmMDAtZTk0MTI1NTVlYTQ3LTUwMDE2NTcwOS0yMDI2LTEwLTA1LWVu\/tiny\/Pladis.png\")
<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/ml.globenewswire.com\/media\/34248f81-8fc5-4b69-b69a-7e298be770c1\/medium\/godiva-centennial-collection-art-edition.png\")
<\/a><\/div>\n\n