Hope

Baysan Yüksel

Born in 1984, Baysan Yüksel graduated from Istanbul Bilgi University Department of Sociology in 2007 and Marmara University Department of Painting (M.F.A.) in 2010. Since 2006, she has been working at her own studio in Istanbul and participating to national and international exhibitions. The artist who creates critical and interdisciplinary work around the concepts of routine, beliefs, traditions and consumer culture, uses dreams and universal symbols as signs for the collective subconscious. Within this context, she also refers to her oeuvre as storytelling. Painting, drawing, collage, three-dimensional objects, artist books, video, installation and text are her most preferred disciplines. She sees all kinds of surfaces, be it canvas, paper, wall or found objects, as instruments on which she can transfer all these stories that she collects both from within and without. Her most recent works consist of paintings and three-dimensional assemblages where she often uses the symbol of the snake and the octopus as the reflections of individual and social confrontations, reminiscent of sequences from dark fairy tales. Here the snake symbolizes change, renovation and rebirth, whereas the octopus with its flexible anatomy and multiple limbs represents the tension and the anxiety triggered by unfamiliar and unstable emotions. Selected Exhibitions: 2018 Bilinmeyen Uzuvlar, solo exhibition, Büyükdere35 - Istanbul 2018 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with Art50net, Casa Dell’Arte Bodrum 2017 Yeni Bir Dünya, Odtü Sanat'19 - Ankara 2017 Taktiksel Duruş, Cer Modern - Ankara 2017 Derler ki, Mardin Museum - Mardin 2017 Risha Project, Forum Factory - Berlin 2016 Cehennemde Bir Mevsim, Alan Istanbul 2016 Profiler, with Art50.net, Gallery Bu - Istanbul 2015 YeOynaSev|EatPlayLove, with Art50.net, Eataly - Istanbul 2015 Serpent, solo exhibition, ArtNext Istanbul 2015 Mamut Art Project - Istanbul 2014 Street Art Istanbul, Kassel - Germany