Nilbar Güreş (b. 1977, Istanbul) received a B.A. in Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Marmara University, Istanbul, and an M.A. in Painting & Graphics from the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna. Upon receiving her M.A., the artist studied Art and Textile Pedagogy at the University of Applied Arts Vienna.
Nilbar Güreş’s practice spans photography, video, film, painting, performance, sculpture, installation and mixed media collage on fabric. Güreş’s works depart from biography then swirls around to address larger issues. Güreş is particularly sound to social injustice, gender roles and cultural identity codes – she researches, documents and finds poetic ways to flout conventions in witty figurations.
Nilbar Güreş lives and works in Vienna and Istanbul.
Güreş received Oustanding Artist Award for Photography by Ministry for arts and culture Vienna, Austria in 2023, Research Grant Ministry for Arts & Culture Austria in 2023, the Hilde Goldschmidt Prize in 2013, the Otto Mauer Award of 2014, Fifth edition of the BC21 (Belvedere Contemporary) Art Award 2015 in Austria, and De'Longhi Art Projects Artist Award of London Art Fair in 2018, Prix Maud Mottier Award in 2021. In 2012, Güreş completed a residency at International Studio & Curatorial Program in New York, supported by BMUKK, Vienna.
Güreş’s selected solo exhibitions include; Pasquart Kunsthaus, Biel, Switzerland (2021); “Magnet and the Moon”, Galerist, Istanbul, Turkey (2019); “Tell Me”, Kunstverein Reutlingen, Germany (2019); “Lovers”, Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe, Germany (2019); “See-Saw”, Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna, Austria (2019), “Overhead”, Lentos Kunstmuseum, Linz, Austria (2018), “Jumping Bed and Female Lovers”, Galerie Tanja Wagner, Berlin, Germany (2018), “Heartache of a Stone”, Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna, Austria (2017), “Open Phone Booth”, The Israeli Center for Digital Art, Holon, Israel (2016); “Double Headed Snake”, Rampa, Istanbul, Turkey (2016); “JusuitenFoyer”, Vienna, Austria (2014); “FO.KU.S - Foto Kunst Stadtforum”, Innsbruck, Austria (2014); “Pink Is The New Black”, Osmos, New York, United States (2013); “Nilbar Wien-Na”, Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna, Austria (2013); “Open Phone Booth”, Rampa, Istanbul, Turkey (2013); “Self-Defloration”, Künstlerhaus Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany (2011); “Nilbar Güreş, Undressing”, EIKON SchAUfenster: quartier21 / MuseumsQuartier, Vienna Austria (2011); “Nilbar Güreş”, Rampa, Istanbul, Turkey (2011); “Unknown Sports, Indoor Exercises”, Salzburger Kunstverein, Salzburg, Germany (2009).
Her selected group exhibitions include; “Body and Territory“, Graz, Austria (2023); “Paroles Paroles“, St.Gilles, Belgium (2023); “She Devil“, Buenos Aires, Argentina (2023); “Mixed Up With Others Before We Even Being“, Vienna, Austria (2022); “As Long As You Stand by Me“, Sofia, Bulgaria (2022); “Avant-Garde and the Contemporary“, Belvedere, Austria (2022); “Biennale Bregaglia“, Bregaglia, Switzerland (2022); “Yokohama Triennial”, Yokohama, Japan (2020); “SESC_VIDEOBRASIL, 21st Contemporary Art Biennial, São Paulo, Brazil (2019); “The Way Beyond Art”, Van Abbe Museum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands (2017); “The Future Is Already Here - It’s Just Not Evenly Distributed”, 20th Biennale of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (2016); “Rainbow in the Dark”, Malmö Konstmuseum, Malmö, Sweden (2015);“AGITATIONISM”, EVA International Ireland’s Biennial, Limerick City, Ireland (2014); “Zeichen, Gefangen im Wunder, Auf der Suche nach Istanbul heute”, MAK Vienna, Austria (2013); “Envy, Enmity, Embarrassment”, ARTER, Istanbul, Turkey (2013); “Nilbar Güreş: Window Commission 2010”, INIVA Institute of International Visual Art, Rivington Place, London, United Kingdom (2010); “What Keeps Mankind Alive?” 11th International Istanbul Biennial, Istanbul, Turkey (2009).
Photographs by Barış Özçetin, Chroma, Haik Studio, Marcos Gorgatti, Mesut Güvenli, Reha Arcan, Rıdvan Bayrakoğlu