The Girl with a Cat Painting

Fikriye Kesti Ünker was born in 1977 in a small coastal town on the Black Sea. From an early age, painting was her language of expression. Fikriye Kesti Ünker produced various types of painting techniques (wood, Styrofoam, metal) in the Gravure-Print Painting workshop (Borusan) between 1999-2003. She was able to show her work at various exhibitions around the country during that time. While she was working, she entered the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University painting department in 2002 Fikriye became a student of three very important Turkish Artists. She studied Stained Glass Applications and at the Lithography Workshop. For two years, she participated in workshops for STT (Art Definition Society), a conceptual art group, with artists. During her time at Mimar Sinan University, she made stage and decor designs in the cinema industry and movie sets for a while. She made stage and decor designs for the local movie industry. Her art has found its way into many important private collections. Fikriye draws the audience into canvases with fairy-tale-like narratives. Her pieces have detailed technical structures along with an atmosphere that brings reality and imagination together. Taking part in various projects, the artist served as the assistant coordinator and jury member of the first outdoor reproduction Street Exhibition held in Beyoğlu in 2007. Again in 2008, she was the project coordinator and jury member of the painting competition held within the scope of the project and the preparation of the catalog prepared to introduce Turkish painting and painters to primary school students. Participating in many group exhibitions throughout her education, the artist graduated in 2009. She was honored to be one of the Turkish artists invited to the 3rd INTERNATIONAL PICTURE SYMPOSIUM. EROS IN ART. This was organized by Patras University, Greece. She received Pedagogical Formation training at Mimar Sinan University in the 2012-2013 academic year. In 2014, she worked as an art teacher at Sarıyer Youth Education Center (SAGEM). In the same year, she prepeared "Every child is Special. Let's Discover, Let's Earn” Art Education project, which was held for primary school children in Sarıyer region. She worked as a Visual Arts Teacher between 2014-2017. The artist also makes cultural and artistic news and interviews in the National Press. The striking contrast created by light and shadow in the artist's early paintings draws attention.