I was born in Istanbul in 1997.
I graduated from the Painting Department of Istanbul Mimar Sinan Fine Arts High School (ADGSL) in 2015. I completed my education in the Sculpture Department of the Art Education Department of Marmara University in 2020. After graduating, I continue my work in the fields of painting and sculpture in my own studio in Istanbul.
I Grew Up Where Someone Looked
This series reminds us that the gaze is not just seeing, but shaping. The eye is not an organ here, but a symbol of memory, control and belonging. This eye, which reappears on the body of the bird, in the shadows of the figures, and on a face transformed into a flower, represents an unseen witness.
In an atmosphere that intersects with Michel Foucault’s concept of the “panopticon”, the presence of the viewer determines the behavior of the figures. Merleau-Ponty's relationship between perception and the body is felt in the eye nestled within the flower: The eye records not only the external world but also internal fractures.
Thus, this series establishes a silent yet profound connection between the figures and the viewer. Every surface implies rather than tells. The viewer's duty is to place their own testimony before the eye. Because we all grew up where someone looked.
2025, 29.5x21cm, charcoal on paper
