I have always been involved with art, especially drawing, ever since my childhood, which led me to express myself in ever evolving ways. Having an attitude that is constantly questioning, unrelenting, enterprising, experimenting and being always in the urge for telling new stories supported me in my future endeavors and artistic efforts. The very subjects of my drawings and tendencies I had for my artworks during my grade school and high-school periods became the foundation of the success I had in university and onwards.

My interest in art throughout my undergraduate studies has encouraged me to work on raising awareness about gender inequality, sexuality and, mostly, the understanding that woman body is not a threat. During my undergraduate education in Bilkent University between 2012 and 2018, I had a vast freedom to choose my medium or discipline to produce and create. Even if I mostly focused on painting and drawing, I did installation, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, video art and performance art. I was, therefore, allowed to explore more and question the cause, effect and process relations.

I make my paintings and drawings using a variety of materials like bringing acrylics, charcoal, colored pencils, watercolors and markers together and I apply them on canvas,  acrylic paper or walls. I continuously use the transition of colors and light; therefore, my artworks are mostly dynamic and vibrant. Using collage technique in my paintings or drawings sporadically, I depict portraits and figures by combining them with some symbols which have their own meanings. For instance, the most common symbol that I use in my works is a rose. For me, roses symbolize the power of femininity, the beauty of nature, passion of love, divinity, spiritual enlightenment, and wisdom. It is a common symbol which differs in meaning depending on movements to beliefs and it has extensive significances depending on cultural, religious and regional features. Moreover, I realized that in English the word “rise” has its second form in “rose” and this very fact allows me to add a new layer to the symbolic power of the word. It is like being born and growing up while improving and sparkling. Correspondingly, I want to enhance the power and beauty of femininity and breathe life to my sensations as a woman via my artworks.

I also work on sculptures using paper mache technique, clay and plaster. I am deeply moved by the Pop Art trend and the repetition, colors and perspective Andy Warhol utilized has created a basis for my endeavor. My sculpture series focus on phallic figurines and although they carry a global critique within them, they mostly are based on the corruption of the perspective of art and sexual education in Turkey. Under the veneer of religion and culture, sexuality has been overtly oppressed and has been made into a topic of shame. I wanted to highlight the irony that exists in the very geography I live in, where the Neolithic Age’s population worshipped Cybele, the goddess of earth and fertility, in Çatalhöyük, who has her sculpture with wide hips and large breasts, and Priapus of Ephesus, the god of abundance with a large penis in his figure; while in the so-called modern times we cannot overcome the corruption of censorship of human body.

To my mind, art is a strong, psychological, lifelong experience for people who are dedicated to doing it. Not only the history of art has nurtured my mind, but also trying to discover myself spiritually and mentally have stimulated me to understand what I am doing within the discipline. Correspondingly, I have always wanted to witness how art was formed through the lense of different cultural approaches. Therefore, I had great experiences in abroad like Germany and Spain with foreigner artists to understand and produce original artistic approaches and to think more communicatively which, in turn, empowered me to grow.

After graduating from Bilkent University Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture – Department of Fine Arts with Magna Cum Laude, I have started focusing on mural paintings in Turkey. I offered to do the walls of various workplaces, later, I got renowned in Ankara and have left my mark in a variety of spaces in the city ever since my junior year of university. I have been commissioned by a number of clients; hence, mural painting has become my job. The techniques I learned in Spain were soon complimented by my experiences in Germany, and after coming back to Turkey I had my own paintings in new places. Sometimes, I have to use references or do reproduction for wall commissions because of the expectations of the clients. Therefore, mural painting is mostly a transitional stage for my career. I am a multidisciplinary artist who wants to reach the masses, create a voice with her art to break the prejudices, fight with ignorance, and to wants being an inspiration source to young and wild spirits who dedicate themselves to art. Stay tuned!