Erna Ucar

Artist Statement – Erna Ucar

Erna Ucar was born in Ankara in 1979 and graduated from the Graphic Design Department of Hacettepe University in 2001. Her background in graphic design shapes her painting, where clear forms meet textured surfaces. After living in Cyprus, Turkey, Russia, Malaysia, and Luxembourg, she became interested in how modern urban life creates both connection and isolation through shared routines.

The Room Series grew from these observations. Ucar works with raw canvas, acrylic, graphite, and sand, often building texture in an impasto style. She combines bright, Fauvist-inspired colors with softer pastels, creating surfaces that reveal new details over time. Her process is slow and deliberate; she arranges figures with a slight depth ambiguity, producing works that feel like a mix of graphic posters and intimate paintings.

Her compositions focus on emotional presence—joy, solitude, resilience, and distance appear together. What guides her practice is the search for shared human experiences. Each work reflects how people, despite cultural differences, move through similar emotional rhythms. Through controlled color (chromatic harmony) and tactile materials, Ucar turns everyday scenes into calm, focused observat...

Graphic Design School in Fine Arts Faculty in Hacettepe University . Ankara

Exhibitions & Publications
2025 - Affordable Art Fair / London / March
2025 - Tom Cox Gallery - Unity / London / March
2024 - Affordable Art Fair / London / March
2024 - Tom Cox Gallery / London / March
2024 - The Other Art Fair Chicago / April
2024 - The Other Art Fair Los Angeles / April
2023 - The Other Art Fair New York / November
2023 - The Other Art Fair Los Angeles / September
2023 - The Other Art Fair Los Angeles / March
2022 - The Other Art Fair Los Angeles / September
2022 - The Wall Art Gallery Karaköy / Groups Exhibition "On The Wall / Summer" / Istanbul
2022 - The Wall Art Gallery Karaköy / Groups Exhibition "On The Wall" / Istanbul
2021 - Contemporary Art Curator / Collector’s Vision International Art Award / Finalist
2020 - Capsule Book Curatorial Vol:2 / Chemistry Series / Sydney
2019 - Hoxton 253 Gallery Groups Exhibition "Mindfulness" / London
2019 - Bricklane Gallery Abstract Exhibition / London
2019 - Contemporary Art Curator / Online Exhibition
2018 - Sanat Gezgini Gallery / Erna Ucar ‘Chemistry’ Exhibition / Istanbul
2016 - Istanbul Exlibris Society, Exlibris Group Exhibition / Istanbul
2001 - Hacettepe University Fine Art Faculty Exhibition / Ankara
1998 - Hacettepe University Photography Exh...