Elif Varol Ergen

She has eleven years of experience running her own art studio. Her area of specializations are screen print, illustration and drawing also holds an MA and PhD degrees in Fine Arts and Graphic Design fields. Currently she focuses predominantly on women figure in mysticism, occultism, mythology and feminism concepts. Her inspirations from the medieval iconography, mythologic stories and ancient symbolism with a new surrealistic style which centered on rebel women characters. With these inspirations she mostly illustrates strong and independent female characters and moves away from all definitions and identities of women as seen by a male gaze. She uses mostly witch and wiccan metaphors and transformations for her rebellious ladies whose behavior goes against the common beliefs of society.

Her artworks are already appeared in many international galleries abroad and local galleries in Istanbul as well as featured on a series of art journals for sale in USA, Germany and Turkey also her first artbook released in VonZos Publishing New York in November 2017.

- PhD in Children Illustration books, dissertation title “Abstract Concepts in Illustrated Children Books”. Hacettepe University, Fine Arts Faculty.
- PhD Research and internship in contemporary illustrations and children book illustrations. The Royal Academy of Fine Arts Hogeschool, Gent Belgium.
- MA in Japanese comic books ‘Manga’, dissertation title; “Development of Comics in Japan and Fareastern Cultures”. Hacettepe University, Fine Arts Faculty.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

‘Incognito’, Zilberman Gallery, Mısır Apt, Beyoglu Istanbul.2012

SELECTED MIXED EXHIBITIONS

- Art13 London, Zilberman Gallery, London.2013

- “The House of Silence” Curated by Ray Caesar, Gallery House, Toronto. 2016

- Contra Art Fair, Old Truman Brewery, London.2014

- ‘Imago Mundi’, Luciano Benetton Art Collection, Benetton Foundation Palermo, Italy.2017

- Contemporary İstanbul 8, with Zilberman Gallery, Lutfi Kirdar, Istanbul.2013

- 'We’ve Got Issues’ Exhibition, WWA Gallery, Culver City, CA, USA.2012

- Artsawa, Turkish Contemporary Art, Dubai International Financial Center, Dubai.2012

- Contemporary İstanbul 7, Lutfi Kirdar, Istanbul2011
Berliner Liste Art Fair, Berlin.2011

- Art Bosphorus Contemporary Art Fair, İstanbul.2011

- Fumihiko Enokido Fusion Art Institute 6th Calendar Design Exhibition, Shizuoka, Japan.2008