Betul Merkan

Betul Merkan was born in Istanbul and contunies her works in her workshop in Kuzguncuk.

about the works:
I usually made use of the objects I found in the junkman and wrecker shops, such as burned pieces of wooden houses and industrial barrels. I sometimes pressed these objects, burned them out or pulled them apart. Appending one object to another, I occasionally superposed them and I got three dimensional columns, which create the feeling of being “in-between”. These works, at many times, returned to the places where I first encountered them, that is to the wrecker and junkman services. As a result, I parted company with these objects. To be honest, this separation did not make me sad.
In the following term of my works, I used different materials to paint on surfaces of the objects. Among those different materials are the polyester reliefs flying out of the surface and the layers of paper.
In my recent works, I turned back to my very own “internal” world, giving up the interference with the waste products of the modern capitalist world. I tried to resist the compulsions of the “external” world. I became comfortably numb towards works, which are undoubtedly accepted as “trendy”; thus, I got socially isolated.
My current works...

1994-1998 Marmara University, Fine Arts Faculty, Drawing, bachelor’s degree
2001-2005 Marmara University, Fine Arts Faculty, Drawing, master degree
master thesis: “The problematic of intuition in the picture”

SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
2014 BBK Oldenburg, Germany
1999 Sabancı Üniversitesi (Kasa Galeri, Aradakiler), Istanbul

MIXED EXHIBITIONS:
2013 artP.kunstverein Vienna
2007 Cow Parade Istanbul
2003 Art Alan (Kargart), Istanbul
2003 Günümüz Sanatçilari (Aksanat), Contemporary Artists Istanbul Exhibition
2001 Günümüz Sanatçilari (A.K.M.), Contemporary Artists Istanbul Exhibition
2000 Günümüz Sanatçilari Retrospektif (D.G.S.G.), Istanbul, Contemporary Artists Istanbul Exhibition
2000 Geleneksel 12. Resim Yarışması Sergisi 2000, Istanbul
1999 Iskele Karma Sergi (Karaköy Iskelesi), Istanbul
1998 Günümüz Sanatçilari Sergisi (Başarı Ödülü A.K.M.), Contemporary Istanbul Artists Exhibition
1997 Günümüz Sanatçilari Sergisi (AKM), Contemporary Istanbul Artists Exhibition
1997 Genç Etkinlik (TÜYAP), Istanbul
1996 Genç Etkinlik (TÜYAP), Istanbul
1996 Performans Eric Anderson – Şükran Aziz (AKM), Istanbul