Mert Çağıl Türkay

Mert Çağıl Türkay, born in 1987 in Istanbul, had his BA and MFA degree from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Photography Department, continues his PhD(Proficiency in Arts) in the same department. Participated in several national and international exhibitions and workshops such as "International Print Triennial / Interfaces", "Realm- Eyes On / Monat der fotografie Wien", "Mamut Art Project", "TUYAP Art Fair", "Aspects of Balkan Photography". He is doing photography, alternative photographic printing techniques, installation and video projects. He often uses alternative photographic printing techniques, which can convey contemporary and avant-garde images, emanating emotionally and symbolically with the manipulation of visual information, tonality, texture, material and detail. The main subjects of photography, video and photo installations are mostly the use of difference politics, the concept of “the other”, gender emphasis, body- power relation and the protest of the body.

Artist Statement

I do photography, alternative photo printing techniques, installation and video projects. I often use alternative photographic printing techniques that I can create contemporary and avant-garde images which can convey visual information emotionally and symbolically with the manipulation of tonality, texture, material and detail. The main topics of my photography, video and photo installations are mostly the policy of difference, homoerotism and gender emphasis, the body-power relationship and the use of the body for protest purposes. The body has become the most important object of my work because it was in front of me as an extremely expressive material that could be manipulated from various perspectives, even completely destroyed and recreated in the process. I emphasize the body-gender duality and gender construction in my works where I examine the changes of the effects of the masculine structure on both the artist and the artworks and ask qustions on the methods that mechanisms created against these effects.