Mert Benlisoy

Mert Benlisoy is a Turkish artist whose work focuses primarily on portraiture and the human figure. Through figures caught in contemplative, dramatic and sometimes melancholic states, he explores inner tension, silence and the emotional dimensions of human experience.

Working with charcoal, charcoal powder and oil paint, Benlisoy approaches the portrait not simply as a physical representation, but as a space of encounter between the figure and the viewer. Faces and figures often emerge from or dissolve into their surroundings, while light, shadow, texture and strong contrasts contribute to their psychological atmosphere.

Rather than presenting a fixed narrative, his works invite viewers to confront the figures through their own emotions, memories and experiences. Benlisoy lives and continues his artistic practice in Bursa, Turkey.

2009–2013 — Yeditepe University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Industrial Product Design, Istanbul, Turkey
2004–2008 — Zeki Müren Anatolian Fine Arts High School, Painting Department, Bursa, Turkey

2024 — Group Exhibition, Ninecim Sanat Evi, Bursa, Turkey