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 my subjects.
— Serpil Mavi Üstün
Serpil graduated from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University , Nes ‘e Erdok Studio in 2008 . She attended Husnu Koldas ‘s arcaic mosaics , fresco and sigrafito workshop for a further two years . Serpil has been living and working in London since 2016.
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 Ustun 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.
Born in 1979 in Türkiye
Lives and works in London, UK
Education
2008 |
Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Nes ‘e Erdok Studio |
Solo Exhibitions
2022 |
C.A.M. Gallery, ‘Caramel Macchiato’, Istanbul, Türkiye |
2019 |
One Paved Court, ‘Everything Is Ok’, London, UK |
2018 |
Royal Opera Arcade Gallery, ‘Royal Arts Prize Runner-up exhibition’, London, UK |
2015 |
Harmony Art Gallery, Along Yourself, Istanbul, Türkiye |
2013 |
Harmony Art Gallery, ‘Timeless’, Istanbul, Türkiye |
Group Exhibitions
2023 |
Galerie Marguo, ‘A New Sensation’, Paris, France |
Gillian Jason Gallery, ‘Universe 25’, London, UK |
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Studio West, ‘Skin Deep’, London, UK |
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MAMA, ‘Fetish’, London, UK |
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Mrs Gallery, ‘Even a Cat can Look at the Queen’, New York, NY |
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The Artist Room Gallery, ‘Dialogue’, London, UK |
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2022 |
Galeri Nev & Kendi Collection, ‘Another Round’, Istanbul, Türkiye |
"Character" Group Show, ‘Mothflower’, London, UK |
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C.A.M. Gallery, ‘Contemporary Istanbul- Bloom’, Istanbul, Türkiye |
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C.A.M. Gallery, ‘Recto-Verso’, Istanbul, Türkiye |
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C.A.M. Gallery, ‘Let it be’, Istanbul, Türkiye |
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2020 |
C.A.M. Gallery, ‘Life’, Istanbul, Türkiye |
ROOMS, ‘Subsidiary Projects’, London, UK |
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2019 |
C.A.M. Gallery, ‘Herstory’, Istanbul, Türkiye |
C.A.M. Gallery, ‘Step Istanbul ‘19’, Istanbul, Türkiye |
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2018 |
Manier Gallery, ‘Visualy Literate2’, London, UK |
KAOS Kingston, ‘Artists Open Studios’, London, UK |
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Saatchi Art, ‘The Other Art Fair Bristol’, Bristol, UK |
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Saatchi Art, ‘Not 30 %’, curated by Kate Bryan, London, UK |
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Art On, ‘99 Kare’, Istanbul, Türkiye |
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2017 |
HLS Gallery, ‘Freedom’, London, UK |
HLS Gallery, ‘Timeless’, London, UK |
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Mavi Art Studio, ‘Trace’, London, UK |
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HLS Gallery, ‘Through the Colors’, London, UK |
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Le Carrousel du Louvre, Art Fair, Paris, France |
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2016 |
Harmony Art Gallery, ‘Christmas Exhibition’, Shanghai, China |
Harmony Art Gallery, ‘Summer Exhibition’, Shanghai, China |
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2015 |
Harmony Art Gallery, ‘Christmas Exhibition’, Shanghai, China |
Harmony Art Gallery, ‘Summer Exhibition’, Shanghai, China |
Awards
Royal Arts Prize IV, Edition, London, UK
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Serpil Mavi UstunDinner Party, 2023Oil on linen122 x 91 cm (48 x 35 7/8 in)
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Serpil Mavi ÜstünFeast, 2023Oil on linen80 x 70 cm (31 1/2 x 27 1/2 in)
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Serpil Mavi UstunMonday Morning, 2023Oil on linen122 x 91 cm (48 x 35 7/8 in)
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Serpil Mavi UstunA Little More Time, 2022Oil on linen50 x 65 cm (19 3/4 x 25 5/8 in)
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Serpil Mavi UstunBirthday Cake, 2022Oil on linen76 x 61 cm (29 7/8 x 24 in)
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Serpil Mavi UstunCaramel Macchiato, 2022Oil on linen80 x 60 cm (31 1/2 x 23 5/8 in)
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Serpil Mavi UstunCaramel Macchiato II, 2022Oil on linen80 x 60 cm (31 1/2 x 23 5/8 in)
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Serpil Mavi UstunCelebration, 2022Oil on linen75 x 63 cm (29 1/2 x 24 3/4 in)
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Serpil Mavi UstunDelivery to Wrong Address, 2022Oil on canvas71 x 71 cm (28 x 28 in)
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Serpil Mavi UstunDialogue, 2022Oil on canvas60 x 60 cm (23 5/8 x 23 5/8 in)
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Serpil Mavi UstunGame Changer, 2022Oil on linen75 x 65 cm (29 1/2 x 25 5/8 in)
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Serpil Mavi UstunI Feel You Watching, 2022Oil on canvas45 x 55 cm
17 3/4 x 21 5/8 in -
Serpil Mavi UstunLeave the Door Open, 2022Oil on linen110 x 90 cm (43 1/4 x 35 3/8 in)
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Serpil Mavi UstunThe Lobster, 2021Oil on canvas60 x 50 cm (23 5/8 x 19 3/4 in)