Ayşe Erkmen

Ayşe Erkmen (born 1949, Istanbul) is a visual artist recognized as "one of the foremost Turkish artists." She is living and working in Berlin and in Istanbul.

Influenced by specific sites, histories and geographies Ayşe Erkmen's works takes the social and physical environment that she is in. Erkmen does not invent new forms, but she transforms architectural and social conditions and contexts. Between 1998 and 1999 she worked as the Arnold Bode Professor at Kassel Art Academy, and between 2000 and 2015 she was a lecturer at Kunstakademie Münster. Since 2012 Erkmen is a member of the Akademie der Künste, Berlin. In 2002, she received the Maria Sibylla Merian Prize of the Ministry for Science and Art of the Hesse state government.

Education Ayşe Erkmen was born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1949. She graduated from Academy of Fine Arts, Istanbul, Department of Sculpture in 1977 In 1993, she participated in the DAAD International Artist Residency Programme in Berlin.

Works "I take everyday objects, or more often situations, which I already see as artworks/sculptures, and I work them into artworks that are freed from these starting points. There is a long process of working through to reduce and change the direction. The tension may come from the result of this switch of context or the effort to balance the form and function while creating the work." Erkmen's research based projects include physical structures but also their use, history, cultural and political connotations. In 2011 Erkmen represented Turkey with her work titled Plan B, at the 54th International Art Exhibition, Venice Biennale.

Exhibitions Erkmen has participated in Skulptur Projekte Münster 1997 and 2017, the 2nd, 3rd and 13th Istanbul Biennials; The Pavilion of Turkey at the 54th Venice Biennale; 12th Shanghai, 2nd Berlin, 3rd Gwangju, 9th Sharjah, and Scape 2008, 2008 Folkestone Triennial and 3rd Echigo Tsunami Triennial.

Her work was exhibited in institutions and museums such as Akademie der Künste (Berlin), Arter (Istanbul), Auckland Art Space, The Contemporary Austin, Barbican Centre (London), Bonniers Konsthall (Stockholm), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Hamburger Bahnhof–Museum für Gegenwart–Berlin, Istanbul Modern, Saidaiji Temple (Nara), SALT (Istanbul), SMAK (Gent) and Tanas (Berlin).