Echo Chamber

Umut Serkan Adanır

Umut Serkan Adanır was born on October 18, 2002, in Bolu, Turkey.
He completed his high school education at Bolu Fine Arts High School and is currently pursuing his studies in the Painting Department at Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University, Faculty of Fine Arts.
He primarily works with acrylic paint, watercolor, and pencil drawing as his preferred mediums.

The forms in his works, seemingly lost in the depths of black, subtly reach toward a source of light. The dense dark background reflects suppressed emotions and internal unease, while the soft tones that emerge in between hint at an escape, a breath of relief. This abstract structure, progressing in layers, draws the viewer into a dual experience—both a sense of confinement and a passage to clarity.

The transitions between colors carry traces of inner conflict; each light tone emerges like a thought striving to break free from the darkness. This composition reminds us that even within shadow, every form bearing hope can create its own light.
The figure, seated in an empty space alongside its shadow, seems to have rooted itself in the surroundings through thought. The colors disperse like echoes around the figure, while the stains in the background resemble abstract imprints of the subconscious.

Soft beige and warm earthy tones evoke the still flow of time, while deep shadows carry the inner weight of the body. In the figure’s posture, there is a sense of waiting, a quiet acceptance—not stepping forward, yet not retreating. In that moment, existence itself becomes the source of meaning.

Hicran Aksöz

Hicran Aksöz was born in 1993 in Kayseri, Turkey. She graduated at the top of her class from the Painting Department of Erciyes University Faculty of Fine Arts in 2019. In the same year, she began her Master’s degree in Art and Cultural Management at Yeditepe University on a scholarship and successfully completed the program. After graduation, she curated several exhibitions and participated in numerous shows with her own works. She currently lives and works in Istanbul.

In her recent works, the artist places moldy bread—left to decompose over the course of one to two months—at the center of her artistic inquiry. Through this, she documents not only a process of organic decay, but also constructs a universe of metaphors shaped by time and neglect. This transformation compels viewers to confront both the inevitability of biological decomposition and broader themes such as collective amnesia, overconsumption, and political indifference.

Mold here transcends its role as a passive endpoint. The transformation, captured in photographs, turns decay into a poetic and political language. Aksöz’s work questions how industrial capitalism marginalizes and disposes of objects deemed to have outlived their “usefulness.” The moldy bread becomes a reflection of the social fractures that society tends to overlook. Echoing Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic violence, the mold gives voice to the silent scream of the devalued.

Through these decaying objects, the artist invites viewers to confront those people and ideas that have been pushed to the margins of the system. Psychologically, the mold symbolizes the emergence of repressed traumas. While the human mind protects itself by forgetting, the artist subverts this mechanism. The mold that slowly spreads across the bread’s surface evokes Carl Jung’s notion of the collective unconscious—a manifestation of the repressed surfacing into reality. As a physical presence, the mold disturbs the viewer, and through its photographic documentation, Aksöz draws attention to the painful yet liberating power of remembering.

Ali Arbağ

Ali Arbağ was born in 2002 in Midyat, Mardin. He began his undergraduate studies at Sinop University, Faculty of Fine Arts and Design in 2021. During his education, he took part in group exhibitions and contributed to the organization of exhibitions.

His work Vasiyet (The Testament) centers on a crowd of women and children, seemingly frozen in a faded moment of the past. Inspired by personal archives, the scene is positioned at a fragile intersection where individual memory transforms into collective remembrance. The figures resist the erosive passage of time—some with blurred or unmasked faces, others staring directly at the viewer, confronting them with their silent testimonies. Certain faces, painted in yellow or red, are anonymized, while others demand recognition.

Colors carry the emotional weight of the scene: red hands and faces emerge like suppressed rage or muted screams. The arrangement of figures evokes a funeral or commemoration ritual, while the humble yet attentive domestic background gives historical and cultural depth to the setting.

In this work, the artist reinterprets pre-digital imagery through today’s aesthetic and technical lens, simultaneously questioning how history is constructed. The vacant gazes, repressed emotions, and fragmented narratives invite the viewer into a layered introspection on both past and present. The transitions in color, the fading faces, and the sharpened hands visually express the traumatic, contradictory, and multifaceted nature of remembrance.

Eylül Ayçiçek

Eylül Ayçiçek began her art education in 2016 at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Painting at Uşak University, and continued her studies in 2021 at the Institute of Fine Arts, Department of Painting at Dokuz Eylül University. Since 2015, she has been active in the fields of street art and graffiti, and continues to produce works influenced by these disciplines in the series she develops in her studio.

In her work Falling Love, as seen in many of her series, the background resembles a wall surface one might encounter on the street, contributing to a sense of urban texture. The colors, textures, and paint techniques used in the figures are deliberately chosen to naturally integrate with this wall-like background.

According to the artist, the gas masks on the figures’ faces symbolize danger or a state of resistance, while the embrace of the couple represents love. This creates a uniquely human contradiction: despite chaos happening inside or outside, the passion and desire for resistance that stem from the human spirit and mind persist. This tension is emphasized through the use of color negatives in both the composition and the figures.

Falling in love as the cities fall—or simply, falling in love.
While “falling” may evoke a negative connotation, the artist refers to Shams Tabrizi’s words:
“Do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?”

Tuğçe Balcı

Tuğçe Balcı was born in 2001 in Kadıköy, Istanbul. She graduated in 2024 from the Painting Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design at Hitit University. She currently continues her artistic practice as a 5th-term artist of the program “A Year in the Passage”, organized by the İyilik İçin Sanat Derneği (Art for Goodness Association) and hosted by DenizBank Headquarters.

With her series “Ruins”, the artist traces the marks of memory, focusing on the collapse of structures, temporal transformation, and the relationship between space and the self. In her recent works, she constructs new layers of meaning through imaginary and utopian worlds. By establishing connections between physical and mental spaces, she continues her production within the dynamic framework of contemporary art.

Burak Biryan

Burak Biryan was born in 2000 in Trabzon, Turkey. He completed his high school education in Trabzon and graduated in 2024 from the Painting Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design at Trabzon University. The same year, he began his master’s degree in Painting at Trabzon University. He has worked as a designer and illustrator at Vives Tasarım Tic. Ltd. Şti., and currently works as an art instructor at X Atölye Akademi.

His works focus on the simple rituals of daily life, offering a timeless narrative of personal memory. Centered around acts of manual labor, they aim to guide the viewer toward recollections of the past. The curves of yarn and knitting are intended to draw the viewer’s attention, while the brushstrokes emphasize the textured surface of the knitted forms, making the physical traces of labor visible.

By placing a “güğüm”—a traditional water container—at the center of the composition, the theme of waiting is reinforced, evoking a sense of quietly observing the passage of time. A resting mother figure reflects fatigue and stillness, while the presence of a cat in the lower right corner of the canvas reinforces the themes of care and closeness. With its gaze directed toward the woman, the cat gently reminds the viewer of warmth within familiar relationships.

The series “My Mother’s Stitches” aims to awaken tactile memories of the past through the simple act of knitting, invoking both emotional intimacy and cultural resonance.

Mihrişah Bulut

Mihrişah Bulut was born in 1938 in Bursa, Turkey. She completed her undergraduate education in the Painting Department of Mimar Sinan University, Faculty of Fine Arts. She earned her Master’s degree in Painting from the Institute of Social Sciences at Uludağ University, where she is currently continuing her Proficiency in Art program.

In her works, she explores frequency—one of the fundamental elements of the universe—as a force that shapes existence through various vibrational ranges. These frequencies can have both constructive and destructive impacts on life. Low frequencies are associated with fear, anxiety, and anger, creating a space dominated by negative emotions. High frequencies, on the other hand, elevate the individual through love, compassion, and conscious awareness.

The frequency emitted by a person resonates energetically, influencing both themselves and their environment. Constructive vibrations bring forth peace, balance, and creative potential, while destructive vibrations diminish life energy and may lead to inner chaos. Within this conceptual framework, the artist's works serve as visual notes—reflecting on the cycle and tension between positive and negative frequencies, and the role of human awareness in navigating them.

The choice of surfaces and media intentionally mirrors the disruptive and destructive effects of low frequencies, while the fragmented butterfly forms and colors rising from the ruins symbolize the uplifting and transformative power of high, positive frequencies.

Reyhan Demir

Reyhan Demir was born in 2001 in Samsun, Turkey. She completed her undergraduate education in Art Education at Ondokuz Mayıs University in 2024. In the same year, she began her master’s degree at the same university and is currently continuing her postgraduate studies. Her featured work is a gravure print of one of Samsun’s oldest buildings—the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism. Unlike the newly built modern structures surrounding it, this building stands as a resilient archive of time, serving almost like a living library. Each wall holds a story from the past, and every crack gently whispers a memory.

Nida Erdoğan

Nida Erdoğan was born in 1999 in Istanbul. Her interest in art dates back to childhood. Between 2017 and 2021, she completed her undergraduate education in Painting at Namık Kemal University. Currently, she continues her studies in Yıldız Technical University’s Institute of Art and Design, where she merges her classical art training with contemporary artistic practices through a Master's program.

Her artistic practice transforms personal experiences into universal and philosophical inquiries. A bird phobia, developed as a result of a childhood trauma, serves as a central motif in her works. Through depictions of dead bird bodies, she explores themes such as death, the uncanny, and the destructive nature of humanity, while also investigating the relationship between individual memory and collective consciousness.

For the artist, death is not merely an end but a marker of life’s cyclical nature. Bird figures operate as metaphors, recording what has been lost and revealing the eerie connection between human nature and destruction. Like lifeless bodies displayed throughout history, these images question the thin line between fear and control, offering a narrative on existential anxiety and the darker sides of memory.

Kardelen Erken

Kardelen Erken was born in 1997 in Istanbul. She completed her education at the Avni Akyol Fine Arts High School, in the Painting Department, in 2015. In 2017, she began her undergraduate studies in Painting at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. After completing her undergraduate degree, she entered the Master’s program at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in 2023. In the same year, she became the 5th term artist of the "One Year in the Passage" program.

The artist paints the ephemeral nature of the moment by drawing from childhood memories and visual images. In her visual world, where lines, textures, and layers intertwine, she brings the viewer closer to the silent moments of nature. The interaction between lines and colors simultaneously evokes the simplicity and complexity of fields. Inspired by her walks between the straw fields and the peaceful and serene atmosphere of nature, she invites the viewer to engage in this act of walking.

In her works, gestural brushstrokes and thick layers of paint emphasize the transience of atmosphere and time at first glance, while herbs and natural elements that become prominent in the foreground stand out as images stored in memory. The artist’s work highlights the freedom of childhood and the deep connection with the land.

Sümeyye Gül

Sümeyye Gül was born in 1993 in Bursa. She graduated from the Department of Architectural Decorative Arts at Adnan Menderes University in 2015. In 2024, she completed her undergraduate studies in the Painting Department of Kocaeli University Faculty of Fine Arts. After her graduation, she participated in the Base 2024 selection. Gül, who is currently attending the Master of Arts certificate program at Beykoz University with a scholarship, has participated in various group exhibitions and competitions in different cities, winning awards. She is currently continuing her artistic practice at her home studio in Kocaeli.

Sümeyye Gül explores the relationships between humans and nature, and the invisible yet perceptible traces that accumulate during one's journey. In her work, she seeks an expression beyond language, attempting to reflect intense experiences that cannot be conveyed with words. Her paintings, created with pencil marks, paint stains, and magazine clippings, open a space for reflection on human existence, blending the traces of nature and humanity. Every detail reflects the artist’s experiences between spaces and memories. Aiming to create a multilayered thought space on human existence, the artist interprets new searches for meaning by focusing on the landscapes encountered during a journey.

Yonca Karaarslan

Yonca Karaaslan was born in 1994 in Istanbul, and has continued her artistic journey in this city, inspired by its atmosphere. Her passion for drawing, which started at a young age with paper and pencil, was academically grounded at the Painting Department of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. Over time, she added movement to her artistic journey, creating motion designs beyond traditional painting. By supporting her works with music, she developed a multilayered and sensory narrative language. As she discovered different forms of expression, her production deepened and evolved into a personal language.

While the invisible fingers of time erode the surface, who can know what will remain behind? Identity turns into a memory, and memories, like shadows merging with emptiness, are erased. The figure of the cow, a symbol of life and fertility, represents the cyclical nature of nature and the continuity of existence. Yet, against the passage of time, it inevitably approaches its end. In agricultural societies, this figure was seen as a nurturing force and a sacred being in mythology, but now it dissolves into nothingness. As flesh and spirit separate, reality dissolves and, in the end, all lines disappear. When the last traces are swept away, only nothingness remains.

Zora Kızılkaya

Zora Kızılkaya was born in 1996 in Ağrı, and completed her primary, secondary, and high school education in Ağrı Taşlıçay. She entered the Painting Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Iğdır University in 2019 and graduated in 2024 with the highest honors. She has participated in international exhibitions.

People have become trapped beings, confined within their own worlds. Their orientations have narrowed, their areas of freedom have been exhausted, and they are squeezed within a deep loneliness. Some are aware, some are not; yet most of them have fallen under the control of others. The paths life offers them are nothing more than illusions. They think they are acting with their own will, but in reality, every step they take leads them unknowingly toward a system they don't even realize. These individuals, tossed around like garbage, have lived their lives under the rule of others, lost their ability to express themselves, and become beings stripped of their sense of belonging. This situation inevitably drags them into easy acceptances. They become trapped in the vicious cycle of ordinary, memorized patterns and a dull life. Thoughts lose their freedom; feelings remain imprisoned within the boundaries set by others.

However, humans grow, evolve, and find themselves through dialogues. Unfortunately, they have been deprived of these dialogues. Mutual conversations, debates, exchanging ideas, and the ability to openly express their feelings have become luxuries for humanity. Most of them live their lives without ever engaging in a true dialogue. They fade into silence, drowning in their loneliness. The words of others become their reality; the opinions of others become their thoughts. Living under someone else's shadow becomes their destiny. This monologue expresses the deep loneliness and trapped nature of humanity.

Melike Kuş

Melike Kuş was born in 1997 in Ankara. She graduated from the Ankara Fine Arts High School, Painting Department in 2015 and from the Anadolu University, Painting Department in 2020. In her artistic practice, she combines traditional embroidery with contemporary art by working with materials such as natural fibers, threads, and fabrics. She explores the individual's position within societal structures, the difference between looking and seeing, and the concepts of change and transformation, particularly through portraits and nature themes.

Throughout her production process in Ireland and Turkey, she aims to create a textural narrative while working with threads. She interprets traditional techniques such as knitting and embroidery from a contemporary perspective and integrates them with painting. By focusing on the relationships between color, texture, and form, she aims to create an intellectual impact on the viewer.

Since 2019, she has continued her work in Istanbul and Dublin, participating in both national and international exhibitions. In her artwork titled Feel It Still, she explores the internal loneliness of humanity and its alienation from society in a dystopian, dark world. Masked figures and details embroidered with thread symbolize the blindness created by the lack of communication and the way individuals perceive their surroundings. Each gaze reveals not only what is seen but also what is overlooked or unnoticed, opening up different perspectives. The limited perspectives imposed by society turn into walls that distance individuals from each other. The threads symbolize the fragility of societal bonds, but they also suggest the possibility of these bonds being rewoven. The artwork invites the viewer into a deep journey both visually and emotionally, calling for respect towards the different perspectives of every individual on Earth and the ability to truly see one another.

Suzan Turhan Onuk

Suzan Turhan Onuk, born in 1996 in Gölbaşı, Adıyaman, completed her primary and secondary education in Gölbaşı, and continued her high school education at Adıyaman Anadolu Fine Arts High School. In 2014, she was accepted into Inönü University’s Department of Painting and Arts Education in Malatya. After completing her 4-year undergraduate education, she pursued a Master's degree in Painting at the Social Sciences Institute of Inönü University, graduating in 2022.

From the moment she embarked on her artistic journey, she focused on growth and acquiring new knowledge, participating in various events and exhibitions. Among her achievements are the "Exhibition Award" at the 2020 T.C. Ministry of Culture and Tourism Young Artists 6 project on "Geography is Destiny," the "Exhibition Award" at the 2022 Yaşar Education and Culture Foundation 39th Dyo Painting Awards, and the "Achievement Award" at the 2023 Mersin Metropolitan Municipality Republic's 100th Anniversary Painting Competition.

In her work, the artist explores her reflections on listening to the world after falling from the womb, and the difference between seeing and merely looking. Through her interpretations of nature, she incorporates her fingerprint into her artwork.

Loya Kader Öztürkmen

Loya Kader Öztürkmen, born in Denizli, pursued her passion for painting and art despite her family’s and surrounding community’s differing views on education. Without anyone knowing, she took the special talent exam and from 2009 to 2013, she studied Painting at the Pamukkale University Department of Fine Arts. In 2015, she was appointed to Istanbul and began her career as a painting teacher. She continues to work as a painting teacher and, expressing the unsatisfied restlessness within her since childhood, she continues to create in her studio.

The artist examines the concept of reality, emphasizing the illusion effect of perception's variability and the changing perception of reality in her works. She presents the illusion of the changing nature of reality through two main materials: mesh and net. By separating the body, mind, and soul, she offers the material’s illusionary effect through its transparent structure as a whole. She presents the fear, loneliness, indecision, instability, escape, aggression, and sheltering created by the existential awareness of knowing one will die while alive, with a futuristic attitude, using the contrast of being and non-being. The multiple figures in her works highlight the difficulty of decision-making before action, the irreversible consequences of the decisions made, and the chain of actions resulting from those decisions, emphasizing the unsettling sequence of actions.

Sevilay Nurten Şahin

Sevilay Nurten Şahin, born in Istanbul in 1997, completed her high school education in the Painting Department of Aşık Veysel Fine Arts High School. She then graduated from the Painting Department at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. After graduating from Yalçın Karayağız’s workshop, she worked as an assistant to Mustafa Özel. She is one of the artists in the 5th Term of the “Pasajda Bir Yıl” project by the Art for Goodness Association. Currently, she continues her work at the Pasajda Bir Yıl studio, located at DenizBank.

“A moment hidden behind a window; two silhouettes, warmth inside, night outside. The window is not just a frame, but a silent witness to the intimacy of love from the outside. The two figures wrapped together are protecting both their inner world and the space they’ve built together. This scene under the light is an expression of both simple and infinite closeness.”

Barışcan Seval

Barışcan Seval, born in Tekirdağ in 1999, graduated from Tekirdağ/Şarköy Anatolian High School. Between 2019-2024, he completed his education in the Painting Department at Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University. He continues his artistic work as an independent artist.

He explores the deep loneliness that echoes in the silence of abandoned places. In his works, he uses spaces such as desolate beaches, barren lands, and forgotten summer houses, which are left to their fate with the changing seasons. These spaces become moments where loneliness and melancholy come to life on the canvas. He often depicts these abandoned places along with forgotten objects, symbolizing the intensifying effect of loneliness, silence, and depression, which he believes we all harbor at times. The viewer finds themselves in these spaces, where they are left alone with the depth of their own solitude.

Mehmet Salih Taş

Mehmet Salih Taş, born in Gaziantep in 2001, completed his primary education there. After graduating from the Child Development Department in high school, he successfully entered the Painting Department at Gaziantep University Faculty of Fine Arts in 2020. In addition to his main field of painting, he also took a minor in printmaking. He graduated in 2024 as the top student in his department. He is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Painting at the Hacettepe University Institute of Fine Arts.

Class conflict has been an ongoing issue since the beginning of civilization, and evolving societal structures have not been able to resolve this tension. The Realism movement illuminated the difficulties of the working class and class-based tensions in their full reality, emphasizing the universality of this conflict. Due to the continued relevance of this issue, I believe the influence of realism must endure. In my art, I want to reinterpret the legacy of the past using modern techniques, keeping this universal conflict at the forefront with an innovative perspective.

Tolga Turan

Tolga Turan, born in Eskişehir in 1972, graduated from the Department of Sculpture at Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts and completed his Master’s degree in Plastic Arts at Yeditepe University with a thesis titled "Material Use in Abstract Expressionist Painting." He has participated in various group exhibitions both domestically and internationally. His work titled "The Meeting of Art with Wire," in collaboration with Yeditepe University Faculty of Fine Arts and BMS Wire, won an award in the Steel Wire Sculpture Competition. He continues his work by participating in various group exhibitions alongside İyilik İçin Sanat Derneği (Art for Goodness Association) with his sculptures.

Tolga Turan's sculptures reflect an abstract expressionist approach using classical sculpture casting and metal bending techniques. His works primarily utilize metal materials, achieving figure abstraction through both casting and bending methods. His sculptures blend classical techniques with contemporary expressions.

Tolga Turan's works highlight the interconnectedness between nature, humanity, and urban life. The natural curves of wire remind us that they are part of nature's cycles. Despite the complexity and speed of urban life, his works emphasize the need for humans to maintain their connection to nature and preserve their inner balance. In this context, the figures in his sculptures serve as aesthetic symbols of a life where nature and the city can coexist.

Rabia Yıldırım

Rabia Yıldırım Demirezen, born in Kayseri in 1992, graduated from the Department of Painting and Art Education at Gaziosmanpaşa University. Since her university years, she has participated in various group exhibitions. In 2018, she held her first solo exhibition titled "Sures and Streets" at Toloman Art-Bitez. Alongside her work as a painter, Rabia Yıldırım Demirezen has also worked as a painting teacher and organized workshops for students. Currently, she lives in Tekirdağ and is working on new series of artworks. The artist focuses on the portraits of individuals who do not conform to societal beauty standards, questioning how what is considered 'abnormal' is perceived and the impressions it creates. By exploring the position of individuals with birthmarks in society, she offers the viewer a different perspective. These images, which directly engage with the viewer, encourage them to assess the marks not merely as an element of difference, but as part of a whole, integrated with the other features of the face. In doing so, she highlights how birthmarks harmonize with an individual's identity and emphasizes the need to question societal beauty norms.

Asiye Yüce

Asiye Yüce, born in Istanbul in 1998, began studying drawing after graduating from high school in 2015 due to her interest in art. She was accepted into the Department of Painting at Bursa Uludağ University Faculty of Fine Arts in 2017. In 2021, she became part of the "Alenen Sanat" project organized by the Good for Art Association, and during this process, she participated in various group exhibitions. Currently, she continues her work in Istanbul. In her series "The Sleepers," she uses the state of sleep as a metaphor to express the strong reflection of detachment from the external world, inactivity, and indifference that spreads through the body. The act of sleeping, done alone, actually represents individual isolation, and in this context, it shares similarities with the postmodern individual for the artist.