Nilbar GüreÅŸ (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.
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Nilbar GüreÅŸ’s practice spans photography, video, film, painting, performance, sculpture, installation and mixed media collage on fabric. GüreÅŸ’s works depart from biography then swirls around to address larger issues. GüreÅŸ 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.
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Nilbar GüreÅŸ lives and works in Naples, Vienna and Istanbul.
Nilbar GüreÅŸ at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2026, Türkiye Pavilion.
GüreÅŸ’s selected solo exhibitions include; “Velvet Stare“ Arter Museum, Istanbul. Turkey; “Space Uncurated #1“ MLZ Art Dep, Trieste, Italy (2024); Nilbar GüreÅŸ & Marlene Hausegger, Kunstforum Montafon, Schruns, Austria (2024); “ATEM“, Vienna, Austria (2021); “Breast by Rose“, Vortic Art, London, United Kingdom (2021); “APPLAUSE“, Hamidrasha Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel (2021); “Sour as a Lemon“ 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 GüreÅŸ, Undressing”, EIKON SchAUfenster: quartier21 / MuseumsQuartier, Vienna Austria (2011); “Nilbar GüreÅŸ”, Rampa, Istanbul, Turkey (2011); “Unknown Sports, Indoor Exercises”, Salzburger Kunstverein, Salzburg, Germany (2009).
Her selected group exhibitions include; “The Cynics Republic“, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France (2024); “Empowerment“, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Kolkata, Banglore, India (2024);​ “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 GüreÅŸ: 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).
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Photographs by Barış Özçetin, Chroma, Haik Studio, Marcos Gorgatti, Mesut Güvenli, Reha Arcan, Rıdvan BayrakoÄŸlu
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