Ilgın Erdem - Turkish Painting Association - UK- Headquartered in London

Who is Ilgın Erdem? (1971-Adana)

Born in Adana in 1971. Graduated from Çukurova University, Faculty of Education, Department of Painting and Crafts Education, Department of Graphics. Between 1993 and 2012, she worked as an art teacher in a private institution. Since 2012, she has been continuing her work in her studio in Adana. The artist, who opened her first personal exhibition in 2006 at A.Ç.S Art Gallery/Adana, opened her solo exhibition in Gallery Soyut Ankara in 2024. She has participated in art fairs, workshops and many domestic and international exhibitions with her works. The artist also produces works in different disciplines.

Art Perspective:
The artist, who is affected by the reflections of the society he lives in, determines the main character as a woman in his works. Instead of looking for perfection in them, he tries to compose the feeling of experience. He creates an atmosphere within himself by associating the relationship between his works with time. As with every artist; his works have a color understanding and tone. By examining the overlap of these color nuances, he aims to reflect the spiritual inner world of mankind. As for the contrasting and striking colors, he uses variations of yellow, aiming for stagnation and sadness to be at the forefront. The gray tones that the artist predominantly uses in his paintings are in order to reflect the pessimistic mood of the 21st century and today’s crisis period. The artist occasionally carries this approach to different disciplinary understandings as well as his oil paintings.

Selections from Recent Exhibitions:
-2019 LİFE N STYLE 4th Batumi Print Festival2019 Forli Fiera Contemporary Art Fair Bologna/Italy
-2019 ‘ENKİ’ Painting Exhibition Korart Gallery/Adana (Project and curator: Ilgın Erdem)
-2020 ‘Emptiness Experiences’ Gallery İşlik Nişantaşı/İstanbul
-2020 National ANTİKYA Art Meeting, Primemall Art Gallery/Antakya
-2020 ARTANKARA 6th Contemporary Art Fair Gallery SCHMİDT/Ankara
-2020 BREEZE Art Exhibition D-Marin/Göcek
-2020 ‘Goodness is Contagious’ Art Project TEV-P.Ç.Art
-2020 ‘After the Pandemic’ Alaçatı Art Workshop Çeşme/İzmir
-2020 ‘Winter Letters’ Mixed Exhibition Arda Art Gallery/Çankaya/Ankara
-2021 ‘DEGRADE’ Mixed Exhibition, Karaca Cultural Center/İzmir
-2021 ‘Fragile Image’ Contemporary Art Exhibition, Ahmet Yeşil Art Gallery/Mersin
-2021 ‘Light to the Future’ Mixed Exhibition F Art Gallery/İstanbul
-2021 Artcontact Istanbul Contemporary Art Fair/İstanbul
-2021 ‘Distancing - ma’ Mixed Painting Exhibition, Gallery Soyut/Ankara
-2021 ArtKaraca Mixed Painting Exhibition Gallery Artkaraca/İzmir
-2021 ‘Summer Dynamics’ Mixed Painting Exhibition, Gallery Soyut/Ankara
-2021 ‘FREQUENCY’ Mixed Painting Exhibition, Gallery Soyut/Ankara
-2021 ‘New December’ Exhibition, Gallery Soyut/Ankara
-2021 ‘New Effect’ Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics Exhibition, Çayyolu Soyut Gallery/Ankara
-2022 ‘LALOBA’ Painting Exhibition, Kuzgun Art Space Art Gallery/ Adana
-2022 ARTANKARA 8th Contemporary Art Fair, Gallery Soyut/ Ankara
-2022 ARTCONTACT Istanbul Art Fair, Gallery Soyut/ Istanbul
-2022 ‘Summer Dynamics’ Mixed Painting Exhibition, Gallery Soyut/ Ankara
-2022 PASSPORT2 (self-portrait) Painting Exhibition, Doart Gallery/ Istanbul
-2022 Homecoming Welcoming 12 cm, Painting Exhibition Gallery Diani/ Istanbul
-2022 ‘FREQUENCY’ Exhibition (December 9-30, 2022) Gallery Soyut/ Ankara
-2022 New December Exhibition (December 9-30, 2022) Gallery Soyut/ Ankara
-2023 Mixed Painting-Sculpture Exhibition (January 7-February 3) Ninecim Art House/ Bursa
-2023 9th ArtANKARA Contemporary Art Fair (9-12 March) Gallery Soyut / Ankara
-2023 Figure Interpretation Exhibition (May 19-June 6) Gallery Soyut / Ankara
-2023 ‘Me and the Other’ 35th International Workshop, Art Suits Gallery / Bodrum
-2023 ‘Being Face to Face Together’ (September 30-October 30, 2023), Atatürk Cultural Center / Istanbul
-2023 NEW DECEMBER (December 8-31) Gallery Soyut / Ankara
-2024 SUSKU Solo Exhibition (January 5-23) Gallery Soyut Çankaya / Ankara
-2024 ArtANKARA 10th International Contemporary Art Fair (March 7-10, 2024) Gallery Soyut / Ankara
-2024 Recycling - Formation Exhibition (February 24-March 24, 2024) Tepebaşı Municipality Exhibition Hall / Eskişehir (Tepebaşı Municipality Contemporary Arts Museum for work exhibition )
-2024 BLOSSOM Mixed Painting Exhibition ( April 13-21, 2024 ) Originalist Art Gallery / Adana / Culture Road Festival
-2024 ArtCONTACT Istanbul International Contemporary Art Fair ( May 23-26, 2024 ) Gallery Soyut, Avrasya Show and Art Center / Istanbul
-2024 ArtNOVA Art Fair ( October 17-20, 2024 ) Gallery Soyut Ato Congresium / Ankara
-2024 INCHEON ARTSHOW ( November 21-24, 2024 ) KOREA / Originalist Art Gallery

A section from the article written by the curator İbrahim Karaoğlu for Erdem’s ‘ Silence ’ exhibition.

“ In the figures’ images in the paintings of the painter Ilgın Erdem, whose art I have been following closely for a long time; silence is an indelible expression effect. Each figure stands in absolute silence.

“Only through form and pattern…
As moving in its own serenity, silence can be reached,” says TS Eliot, Ilgın Erdem’s images also reach a serene silence, sanctifying innocence and peace, drawing the viewer into the depths of her painting. Her art is full of innocence. She seeks the silence of their lost innocence, the silence of silenced women, between dreams and reality. Her women invite her audience to an inner dialogue. They seem to seek inner peace and serenity, ‘being here and now’, freed from the burdens of the world, to be free. And their silence is the shadow of the pains that exhaust their souls in their images.

The silent pictorial poems of women who withdraw into themselves, who are on their own journey, freed from the overwhelming, chaotic intensity of life, from the noise of the world, touch us… Each painting, a record of intense emotions, takes us to Erdem’s special world. His basic theme is the clear, pure and innocent states of a person when they lose their voice and are not heard. He adds innocence to each of his images. Questioning the distance we have from our lost innocence as we move away from our childhood. These paintings are the sum of pure and innocent moments. Directing the lines and colors with a deep sensitivity, he depicts the innocence of the images with the sadness of wild flowers.