SERPİL MAVİ ÜSTÜN
Serpil graduated from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Neş’e Erdok Studio in 2008. She attended Hüsnü Koldaş’s arcaic mosaics, fresco and sigrafito workshop for a further two years. Serpil has been living and working in London since 2016.
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Imagine some of these picturesque scenarios which would come true in daily life as; walking through the city, looking at your cell phone screen, sipping your coffee, blowing out the candles of your birthday cake, receiving flowers etc. Usual contexts thus and so are worthy to be subject of Mavi Ustun’s painting.The artist dealing with loneliness of the individual of the present-day; makes us confront with the personal stories of her fragile, perturbed, melancholic, heroes and heroines who refer to solitude.
Some of these moments that Serpil dwells on, there are some personal eccentricities, which appear in a passive- aggressive way. Even sometimes the personas of her painting make us think that they are taking a kind of pleasure to procreate drama. They can seem indifferent in a case or atmosphere where they are supposed to take pleasure. In a moment that seems ideal, beautiful or happy they can sabotage it. These heroes, who ruin their own pastel world, reflect the conflicts that we deal with, in our daily routine.
The matter that the artist focuses on her painting is not storytelling; but by focusing on the individual in a fragment from life to reflect their trouble. Mavi Üstün thinks that in the source of this fact resides ‘the agony of the individual’ who has been caught in a trap of existence and surrounded with the means of the social system. Personages of her paintings symbolize the person who fights back and reacts to this circumstance.
While transforming the impressions, fantasies, evocations and images; into a scene of a fleeting moment, she leaves the previous and the future scene to the imagination of the viewer."
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022 Caramel Macchiato, C.A.M. Gallery, Istanbul
2019 Everything Is Ok, One Paved Court, London
2018 Royal Arts Prize Runner-up exhibition, Royal Opera Arcade Gallery-London
2015 Along Yourself, Harmony Art Gallery, Istanbul
2013 Timeless, Harmony Art Gallery, Istanbul
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS2023 Universe 25, Gillian Jason Gallery, London
Skin Deep, Studio West, London
Fetish, MAMA - London
Even a Cat can Look at the Queen, Mrs. Gallery- New York, Dialogue, The Artist Room Gallery- London2022 Another Round, Galeri Nev
Mothflower, "Character" Group Show
Contemporary Istanbul -Bloom , C.A.M Galery, Istanbul
2021 Recto-Verso, C.A.M. Gallery, Istanbul
Let it be, C.A.M. Gallery, Istanbul
2020 Life, C.A.M. Gallery, Istanbul
Subsidiary Projects – ROOMS
Congruence - I Like Your Work Juried Exhibition
2019 Herstory, C.A.M. Gallery, Istanbul
Step İstanbul ‘19, C.A.M. Gallery, Istanbul
2018 Visualy Literate2 Manier Gallery, London
KAOS Kingston Artists Open Studios, London
The Other Art Fair Bristol by Saatchi Art
The Other Art Fair London “Not 30 %” curated by Kate Bryan, Saatchi Art
99 Kare, Art On, Istanbul
2017 Affordable Art Fair, Milan
“Freedom”, HLS Gallery, London
“Timeless”, HLS Gallery, London
“Trace”, Mavi Art Studio, London
“Through the Colours”, HLS Gallery, London
Le Carrousel d’Louvre Art Fair, Paris
Royal Arts Prize Exhibition 2017, London
2016 Harmony Art Gallery Christmas Exhibition
Harmony Art Gallery Summer Exhibition
2015 Harmony Art Gallery Christmas Exhibition
Harmony Art Gallery Summer Exhibition
2014 Saint Pulcherie Printemps des Artistes Galeri Od’A
2009 Akademililer Art Center
2008 Türk Kalp Vakfı Art Competition
Nuri İyem Art Competition Exhibition
Art-İst Istanbul Art Fair
2007 Türk Kalp Vakfı Art Competition
İpek-Ahmet Merey Art Competition
2006 İpek-Ahmet Merey Art Competition
Art-İst Istanbul Art Fair – ( from 2006 to 2016)
PRIZESRoyal Arts Prize IV. Edition (Second place award)
PUBLICATIONSArt Maze Mag, issue 27, interview with Layla Leiman
Istanbul Art News, "Picturesque scenarios from everyday life"
Maake Mag, Issue 9.
House and Garden, June 2019
Art MazeMag Spring Edition Editorial Selection, 2019
99 Square, Art On 2018
Art MazeMag Summer Edition Curatorial Selection 2018
Art MazeMag Anniversary Edition Curatorial Selection 2017