Elvan Asarkaya, born in İzmir in 1970, graduated from the Painting Department of Fine Arts Academy of DEÜ . Between 2015 and 2020, she completed her MD in painting at Accademia di Belle Arti FIDIA in Italy with top honors. Specializing in fresco techniques, she had the opportunity to work on restoration projects, particularly focusing on murals. For many years she ran her own company in the field of web design and taught graphic design courses at Kültür Üniversitesi for one season
Currently, she is in the art proficiency program at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli Üniversitesi, where she researches new creative processes emerging at the intersection of artificial intelligence and contemporary art. Her artistic practice examines the existential quest of humanity through the dialectic relationships between intuition, technology, and historical memory. Her work is nourished by the mythological memory and archetypal images of the Mesopotamian and Anatolian regions. In her creative process, which begins with satellite images, she forms a contemporary interpretation of this ancient memory using digital tools such as artificial intelligence and augmented reality.
In her solo exhibitions titled Mana, Gaia Anlatıları, and Archenode, the artist questions human-machine interaction by relating it to collective consciousness and mythological memory. Additionally, she has participated in collective exhibitions such as the Degrowth. Her sculpture work titled Alasiya won first prize in the visual arts competition titled "Alasya'dan Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti'ne", organized in collaboration with TRNC Near East University, and was accepted into the collection of the Cyprus Museum of Modern Arts.
Humanity’s effort to understand and make sense of existence is a journeythat carries continuity for me. The transformative moments I experienceon this journey have opened the doors to both inner discovery andwitnessing the mystery of being. Ibn Arabi’s approach, which defineshumanity as a limitless being positioned under the celestial dome andupon the earth, lies at the center of my work. In this context, by followingthe trace of a perception that turns toward what lies beyond the visible,I focus on investigating humanity’s limitless potential—unknown but withstrong signs of existence—through a visual language.
Mythological memory, collective consciousness, and traces of ancientgeographies form the fundamental building blocks of my works. This quest has directed me toward the archetypal memory ofMesopotamia and Anatolia. I strive to develop an aesthetic language thataims to make the voice of the past visible in today’s images.
This process, which begins with satellite imagery, aims to make historicalmemory, cultural traces, and mythological figures visible. In the seriestitled Mana Gaia Narratives, I view these ancient geographies from above,working the figures that emerge within natural forms with pointillismtechnique and gold leaves, like a kind of embroidery. Thus, while bringingthe viewer together on a plane of meaning where past and presentintersect, I aim to include them in a perceptual field that oscillatesbetween the layers of time, positioned at the intersection of historicalmemory and contemporary visual language, offering a multi-layeredaesthetic experience.
What I seek in my relationship with technology is not merely a tool, but aconceptual field of inquiry. I position AI systems at the boundary betweenpoints determined by human intuition and algorithmic production.The images produced by this intelligence interact with the forms andthemes I select, revealing a new visual language that questions theboundaries between chance and intention. In this process,human-machine collaboration becomes a model of aesthetic production.
AR (augmented reality) technology provides us with the possibility ofestablishing not only a viewing experience but also a sensory connectionwith visual narrative. This layer, where figures come alive with movementand expression, transforms the viewer from being merely an observer intoan intuitive partner of the narrative. Thus, a temporary but intensecontact is established between the two-dimensional surface andthe technological interface.
The fundamental thought shaping my art practice is that on this uniqueplanet we are guests of, humanity is both connected to all living beingsand harbors a consciousness that penetrates the universe on micro andmacro scales. This connection established between the universe within usand the galaxies is not merely a poetic metaphor for me, but anontological reality felt through art. Satellite imagery, AI, or AR...All of these are tools I use to recontextualize infinity.
While the technological systems we create add new dimensions to ourperception and understanding, my art practice becomes a reflection ofexpanding consciousness and a vehicle for my search for meaning.
2022–present
Proficiency in Art (PhD in Art Practice), Department of Painting, Hacı Bayram Veli University, Ankara
2015–2020
MFA in Visual Arts, Painting, Accademia di Belle Arti FIDIA, Italy
1987–1993
BFA in Painting, Faculty of Fine Arts, Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir
2025
Archēnode, Solo Exhibition, Nelumbo Studios, İstanbul
Degrowth, Group Exhibition, Gallery Su, Küçükköy, Ayvalık
Mana – Gaia Narratives II, Solo Exhibition, The Art Capsule Gallery, Istanbul
2024
Mana – Gaia Narratives I, Solo Exhibition, Mardin Archaeology and Ethnography Museum, Mardin
2021
First Prize, Alaşiya Visual Arts Competition, Cyprus Museum of Modern Arts Sculpture: Alaşiya: Woman and Power, Ankara, Turkey
2020
Graduation Exhibition, Frescoes: Saints of Turkey, Vibo Valentia, Italy
2018
Wall Painting Project: Historical Episodes, San Giovanni in Fiore Abbey Basilica, Cosenza, Italy
2008–2009
Lecturer, Istanbul Kültür University, Faculty of Art and Design Courses taught: Digital Design (1st–3rd year students), Department of Communication and Design
2019–2020
Classical Byzantine Iconography, Associazione Byzarticon, Rome
2015–2019
Art conservation and replica production projects in collaboration with the Directorate of Cultural Heritage of Italy and the University of Calabria (Department of Earth Sciences & Cultural Heritage)Focus on ancient stone artifact restoration and museum reproduction techniques
2001–2007
Founder and Creative Director of İdeapolist Digital Media Services, Istanbul Corporate design, digital media production, and creative consultancy