Bilalcan Kara (Ardahan, 2000) graduated from Sultanahmet Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, Graphic Design and Photography Department in 2018. He completed his degree in Painting and Art Education at Marmara University Atatürk Faculty of Education in 2023.

He is currently pursuing his Master's degree at Marmara University, where he completed his Bachelor's degree in 2024.

Between 2021 and 2023, he founded an art studio in Kadıköy/Fenerbahçe, where he provided training to fine arts preparation and hobby groups, in addition to his personal production. He creates works by bringing together different art disciplines, primarily painting, textile and costume design. In his art practice, he aims to expand his production with an interdisciplinary approach.

The artist's "pile of teddy bears" series touches upon a universal childhood experience. Shaped by teddy bears, which not every child can have, these works make visible the inequalities and identity search hidden beneath the innocent surface of childhood. Figures multiplying in the same form evoke the system's impact on the individual, while a single figure that stands out represents personal aspirations and the search for originality.

Bilalcan Kara is a multidisciplinary artist; his work focuses on narrative. He freely moves between different disciplines such as painting, textiles, printmaking, costume, or installation, and establishes his own narrative language in each medium. The artist's approach points to an aesthetic world that integrates form with thought and invites the viewer not only to look, but also to remember, question, and feel.

In this work, I consider nature not as a backdrop, but as a space existing alongside the figures. The grass, the sky, and a horizontal arrangement evoke a feeling of being outdoors rather than a closed space. Light colors create a calm atmosphere, but they don't create a completely static state.

The two embracing bears I made with punch weaving don't tell a clear story. They show more of a moment: standing side by side, touching, being in the same place for a short time. For me, this embrace is connected to feelings such as childhood, body, and belonging. The figures are within nature, but not detached from it; their presence is temporary, just like the seasons.

The feeling of this work is also influenced by the time I spent in Bodrum during the summer. The calmer but closer atmosphere during the off-season, as described by the locals, permeates this atmosphere. A sense of an open, breathing place, but not entirely still.

Nature here is not an idealized space. It is silent, real, and as it is. And within this space, the embrace becomes a simple touch, established without the need for words.

Embrace/2025 Dimensions: 45x90cm Technique: Fabric Embroidery/Punch