Cigdem Atahan

Born in Turkey and based in Northern Virginia, I create mixed media works that explore the invisible forces that shape human experience—attraction and resistance, longing and belonging, freedom and attachment.
My paintings often extend beyond the canvas through the use of resin, textiles, hand-built structures, and 3D-printed elements. Balloons, suspended figures, labyrinths, and ocean landscapes appear throughout my work as symbols of hope, uncertainty, memory, and the desire to move beyond visible boundaries.
Influenced by storytelling traditions and personal experiences of living between cultures, I am interested in the tension between what pulls us forward and what keeps us anchored. Each piece begins as a question rather than an answer, inviting viewers to find their own narratives within the work.
I studied at The Art League School in Alexandria, Virginia, where I continue my Advanced Painting Studies. My work has been exhibited in juried exhibitions and solo shows in the United States and Turkey, including my recent solo exhibition, Çekim (“Attraction”), a body of work exploring the unseen forces that draw people, memories, and dreams toward one another.