Sedat Girgin

Born in Istanbul in 1985, Sedat Girgin graduated from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Department of Industrial Design. He has illustrated more than 80 books for many publishing houses. He has worked as a freelance illustrator for several magazines and digital agencies. In 2007, the book he illustrated titled “Ant’s Brother” (Karıncanın Kardeşi), in collaboration with author Suna Dölek, received the third prize at Tudem’s Book-Making Competition and it was translated into German. With his design “Hot Vespa” he received the first award at Art Vespa Competition. He has been making the cover illustrations of The Guide Istanbul since 2014. The book he illustrated titled “Sefa, The Lazy Fish” (Tembel Balık Sefa), in collaboration with author Tülin Kozikoğlu, has recently been selected for the 2015 White Ravens Catalogue by Internationale Jugendbibliothek. His distinctive children’s books illustrations have been exhibited at The Biennial of Illustration Bratislava [BIB].

He has participated in many national and international collaborative exhibitions, organized workshops, attended seminars and been invited to the selection committees. After his first solo exhibition “Circus of Wonders” (Hayretler Sirki) in 2013; he opened his personal exhibitions “While Going Nuts” (2017), “Even More” (2019) and “Overrated Land” (2020) in Galeri 77. He currently lives and works in Istanbul.

Treating his characters in a unique, playful but also bittersweet reality by creating an original world; the artist describes his tone as snippy but sincere. Girgin is an artist who likes to make a point of drawing as he feels like, who loves playing around with forms and who believes that he can relay more directly the emotions by deforming the figures he draws as much as he can. Just like a rough sea reviving a much stronger and tougher feeling than a calm one.