TA London - Turkish Art Week

Celebrated worldwide, Devrim Erbil is Turkey’s leading contemporary artist. He is known as the ‘Poet of Art’ and his work is famous for capturing the essence of Turkey’s vibrant culture. Nature is his passion and he is affected by the rhythm and motion of life. His observations of nature’s patterns, which are similar but inconspicuous and the dilemmas lead him to question the reason for being.

Anatolia’s cultural heritage has always influenced his view. Inter-cultural relations and the common denominator of the line, as seen in the series “Variations on Life in Anatolia”, were central to this period of his art, and it continues to be pivotal to his work today.

Devrim Erbil is renowned for his Istanbul abstractions which he paints using many perspectives. He is particularly famous for his bird’s eye views that evoke the rhythm of birds’ wings. He paints to share his joy of life, and his art, like words in a poem, inspire moments of happiness.

Bahri Genc is one of Turkey’s foremost portrait artists with an impressive portfolio that includes numerous international solo and group exhibitions as well as permanent collections in many renowned museums. He is the first Turkish artist to be invited to the permanent collection of the Davis Lisboa Museum of Contemporary art in Barcelona.

Bahri is leading the way in contemporary portraiture. He has a unique signature style that incorporates bold brush strokes and an innovative use of colour, not previously seen in portrait work, giving this genre a new edge and perspective. Genc’s latest work is following a bold path towards a new and more abstract portrait style.

Baris Sarıbaş is a painter born in Turkey in 1979. He studied art and design at the Anatolian University for a year and then joined the Marmara University in Istanbul, where he graduated. Alongside his studies, he worked with renowned Turkish artist Ekrem Kahraman. He currently lives and works in Istanbul.

Baris Sarıbaş is inspired by Pop art and by Expressionism to paint pieces where calm and destruction intertwine.

Basak Cansu Guvenkaya is a contemporary sculptor, painter and mixed media artist. She graduated in sculpture from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (Istanbul) and studied at the Weissensee Kunsthochschule Berlin. She has exhibited in several exhibitions worldwide as well as receiving many awards including first place at the Sakip Sabancı Foundation Art Awards. Cansu’s artwork, especially her kinetic sculpture, is bold and vibrant. She aims to create an artistic space that banishes fear and evil, playfully inviting the viewer to step into this positive world. Cansu has brought her imaginary utopia to London where she now lives and works.

Cengiz Yatagan is a Turkish artist, whose paintings have featured in several solo and group exhibitions both in Turkey and the United Kingdom. In both his life and his art, Yatagan listens to his inner voice.

He describes his artistic process as being guided by the connection between senses and logic, as well as searching for materials that reflect his spirituality and inner world. His abstract works are created using resin on canvas or metal.

Cigdem is a popular contemporary artist who specialises in surreal, abstract work. Her work embodies surrealist traditions using irrational contrasts between everyday images, shape and colour, while adding her own idiosyncratic edge. She graduated from Mimar Sinan University in 1984. Cigdem lives and works in Istanbul to this day.

The triangle of politics, culture and religion are central to Ece Clarke’s development as an artist. Born in Istanbul and educated in Turkey and Germany, later living in the Far East, the Middle East, and now resident in London, she has been involved in and affected by different cultures at each stage of life.

Her work concerns itself with the reality of existence and links to Ece’s other interests in science and the universe, the elements of nature and other naturally occurring forms.

Emin Çizenel was born in Mallia, Cyprus in 1949. He graduated from Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts in 1974. In 1991, he received a Fulbright Grant and went to New York. He also participated in artist-in-residence programs in Turkey and Vienna.

Emin has won many prestigious art prizes, and he was one of the Cypriot painters to participate in the First Europe-Asia biennale. Considered one of Cyprus’s leading Turkish artists, his work us infused with the spirit and unique experience of the island.

Fine Artist Esra Meral’s signature style is a unique blend of popular imagery and bold colours. Her work, which uses recognisable scenery, has a romantic and nostalgic vibe. Her compositions explore issues relating to women, a deeply personal subject for the artist, which she further elaborates in her series ‘The Woman Behind the Visible’. Being productive is valuable to Meral and she cares deeply about patterns and the meanings of colours. The artist lives and works from her studio in Istanbul.

Günyeli is one of Turkey’s leading photographers. He focuses on contemporary and cultural themes, capturing photographic images in singular and distinctive detail. His work is contemporary and extremely sought after.

He has created two photography books and has collections in leading international art museums. The artist works and lives in Istanbul.

Contemporary Turkish artist Mine Zabci is renowned for her abstract expressionist work, exhibiting both in the UK and abroad. Mine describes herself as a spontaneous artist: She believes in the freedom of artistic expression that cannot be restricted to particular techniques, timescales, plans or styles. According to Mine, images without words fulfill the desire of “human nature to create its own mysteries when exploring the unknown, the unseen and unspoken”.

Born in 1962, Nuri Battal is an established contemporary visual artist whose creative work is largely influenced by the 1980s’ time period. This decade witnessed increasing global capitalism alongside serious wealth discrepancies such as much reported African famines. The eighties was also witness to huge political upheaval, in particular the fall of the Berlin wall signifying the end of the Cold War. Added to all this was the proliferation of worldwide mass media and an iconic music and fashion scene characterised by hip hop and electronic pop music. All this had an enormous impact on artists growing up during Generation X and is exemplified in Battal’s work.

Renk is a London-based contemporary artist who specialises in abstract geometrical design. She studied art and design in Reading and has featured in several exhibitions worldwide. Renk is famous for her use of conceptual multimedia installations to portray social issues.

Her diverse artwork featured at Audio-Visual Festival ‘Monitor’ in New York -2002; 1st Rio De Janeiro Electronic Media Festival-2005; Multi-media Solo show at Gallery X-2005; National Academy of Arts Sofia-2010; Mylos Gallery Greece-2012; Bodrum Biennial-2013/2017 and Budapest Art Fair-2014.

Rina Bakis always find herself under the influence of her state of mind or the place she occupies at that moment. As a result, subconsciously she is drawn to certain colours, and shapes which, no doubt, reflect her style.

Her Images always have a duality. They are movements and transformation depicting abstract landscapes at the same time as space and time. The paintings have colourful light elements intended to produce feelings of joy in their observers.

Sakit Mammadov is one of the most famous artists, in Azerbaijan whose works are in major art galleries and private collections around the world. His latest exhibition in London, which took place in the spring caused a furore among art critics. The artist himself was presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

Sakit Mammadov has won hearts of thousands by his mastery of painting. He can even be called a master of coloured paints, bringing light to darkness, calmness to anxiety and inspiration to reluctance.

As a member of UNESCO Union of Artists, Mammadov pays special attention to Azerbaijan’s Culture.

Born in 1957 in Istanbul, Sina Mirel studied painting in his early childhood. He worked at the studios of Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu and Eren Eyüboğlu during his high school years. While attending university, he studied drawing with Prof. Dr. Tamer Başoğlu. He graduated from the Department of Graphics at İstanbul State Academy of Fine Arts in 1981. Sina has worked as a graphic designer in various agencies and workshops. He is currently working in his home-studio in İstanbul.

Sumer Erek was born in 1959 in Limasol, Cyprus. Erek’s artistic career developed when he graduated from St. Martin’s School of Art in London in 1985. Today Erek lives in London and works with a vast variety of art mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, installation, video and performance.

Yam is a digital illustrator and NFT artist who creates pieces that focus on bringing women into the spotlight while at the same time addressing certain aspects of women’s lives. She does so through vivid harmonious color combinations together with playful, delicate lines and a touch of fantasy.

The universe built by Yam has its own halo and a very characteristic style that is easily recognized. She is heavily inspired by her life experiences, her multicultural Middle Eastern and European background and her surroundings.

She is also the creator and illustrator of the successful collectibles project “World of Women” that works on bringing more diversity and representativeness into the nft world while creating a safe welcoming space for women that love tech and supporting up and coming artists.

Yiğit Yazici studied painting and graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Mimar Sinan University in 1992. Since then, he has taken part in several exhibitions in Turkey, New York, Miami, Chicago and San Francisco in the USA, Thailand, UK and Switzerland.

“My source of energy is sharing the excitement of my artworks with people.”

His work has gained significant attention for its functionality. Created from everyday objects and aimed towards community. Yiğit is also known for his innovative concepts, as he uses unconventional materials for his canvases, such as leather and yacht sails.

Eva is a contemporary textiles designer who specialises in modern African textiles with a European twist. She seamlessly blends her African heritage with her European upbringing to create contemporary and unique tapestries.

The Sonaike brand has featured in some of the world’s most prestigious stores including Liberty of London. Eva lives and works from her studio in London.

London-based abstract and installation artist Joanna Gilbert uses spray paint, mixed media and light installations to express what she terms ‘urban emotion’. Colourful, vibrant abstract and conceptual works are created with an intuitive response, represented on various substrates in an energetic and exciting manner.

The use of neon colour represents the positive aspects of change, transformation and artistic freedom. From an early age Joanna has been passionate about architecture, which still inspires her art.