Leyla Pekmen

Leyla Pekmen is a contemporary artist living and working out of Istanbul. Born and raised in Turkey, Pekmen found her passion for painting at a young age, spending a majority of her time immersed within her neighbour’s art studio. She grew up fascinated by the different forms and shapes that take up art making, and explores the unique view offered by painting in her current practice. Pekmen is part of a local art studio where she developed her passion and interests in acrylic painting and whimsical ceramic sculptures. Her paintings are bold and bright, often utilizing colour blocking and pointillism to create framing and texture. Her sculptures are vastly surreal and conceptual, embracing the mutable qualities offered by ceramics to create fluid and eccentric pieces. Most of Pekmen’s art center around the concept of combing the simple pleasure’s of life with that of whimsy and storytelling. Themes around nature, landscapes, and travel are dropped into a fantastical narrative, often exploring the ideas of memory and comfort. Pekmen had her first solo show in Istanbul in 2021, and also participated in group shows, with her paintings being bought by international art collectors from around the globe.

She finds inspiration in Ottoman...

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2023 CARPE URBEM, Group Show, Bonvivant Club, Izmir
2023 CLOAKED, Online Group Show, Fouryou Gallery
2022 LULLABY, Online Solo Show, Fouryou Gallery
2022 BIRDS OF A FEATHER, Group Show, Marian Cramer Projects, Amsterdam
2022 PERCEPTION SHARED, Group Show, Galeri Beylikduzu, Istanbul
2022 NEXT, Online Group Show, Fouryou Gallery
2022 POP-up Selection, Group Show, Buyukdere 35 Gallery, Istanbul
2021 Kolekta meets Avlu, Solo Show, Avlu Bebek, Istanbul
2021 Yazz Collective, Group Exhibition, Faar Art Space, Fethiye