Yurdagül Konuk

Solo Exhibitions

‘Liminal Cohesions 1/Geçitte’,Solo Exhibition, Awitaart Gallery-Brooklyn, 5-12 May, 2025, New York,USA

‘Liminal Cohesions II/Geçitte’,Solo Exhibition, Rupublic of Turkıye Turkish Consulate General in NY, 13May-04 June, 2025, New York  Turkevi Center United Natıons Plaza NY ,USA

‘Liminal Cohesions III /Geçitte’,Solo Exhibition, Awitaart Gallery-Brooklyn, 7-13 June, 2025, New York,USA

‘Unusual Component- Puslu Parça, Solo Exhibition, Türkan Saylan Congress and Culture Center, April 1-13, Istanbul, TURKIYE, 2024

Brautgabe (Mehir), Persönliche Austellung, Yunus Emre Institute, Vienna, May 17-23, AUSTRIA, 2023

‘Derwendepunkt (Dönemeç)’, Persönliche Austellung ,  (sponsored by the Institute of Yunus Emre), Sept. 28, 2019 – October 2, Vienna, AUSTRIA, 2019

‘Damit es nie Endet (Bitmesin Diye)’ Yunus Emre Institut, Persönliche Ausstellung, Cologne, GERMANY, April, 2018

Group Exhibitions

Legend of Istanbul, Internatıonal Luna Art Gallery, with work  ‘’, 22-28 February 2025, Tarihi Hüsrev Kethüda Hamamı Kültür Merkezi, Beşiktaş ,Istanbul,Turkıye

Carousel, Internatıonal Group Exhibition, Karl & Ein art Gallery-Layout, with work ‘Torrent /Seyelan’, 20-30 December 2024, Istanbul,Turkiye

Fine Art Exhibition, Internatıonal Luna Art Gallery, with work ‘Avicenna’s Khazar’, 7-14 December 2024, Kadıköy ,Istanbul Turkıye

3D Exhibitions

Global Horizons: A Celebration of Artististic Expression; Internatıonal Digital Group exhibition, with work ‘Torrent’, ‘025-10-102-2025-02-02

https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/exhibition/13945263/global-horizons-celebration-artistic-expression

Professional Affiliations and Memberships 

2015 – 2016: Board Member, ESKADER (Literature, Art, and Culture Association in Istanbul,Turkiye) 

Visiting Scholar/Researcher

2009: Visiting Scholar, Melbourne Uni. Trinity College, Melbourne, Australia  

2009: Observer-Parliamentarian, The Parliament of World Religions, Melbourne, Australia  

2013: Guest Lecturer, Justus-Liebig University, Chair of Islamic Theology and Doctrine, Giesen, Germany  

2008: Guest Lecturer, Guru Nanak Dev. University, Department of Guru Nanak Studies, India  

2008:Guest Lecturer, Department of Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Punjabi University, Patiala, India  

1993: Researcher - Language Development, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt  

Research Interests

Philosophy and Religious Studies, Art Philosophy, Philosophy of Visual Art,Phenomenology of Art, Eastern Classical Pattern Design, Tazhiyb-Illumination Art, Miniature Art,Painting,, Ethics, Aesthetics, Turkish Art History, Phenomenology of Myths, Symbols on Theology, Metaphors on Phenomenology, Contemporary Spirituality, Educational Philosophy, Relationship between Aesthetic and Ethics, History of Traditional Eastern Arts, Poetic Phenomenology.

Articles (Selected)

“Gedik: Ömer İzgeç’in Dijital Resimlerinde Çifte Dram Mekanı Olarak Boşluk”, Eleştirel Kültür Dergi, Haziran 2023, URL: https://www.ekdergi.com/gedik-omer-izgecin-dijital-resimlerinde-cifte-dram-mekani-olarak-bosluk/                                                                                                                              

- "A New Challenge Nourished From Perpetual Concern: Spirituality" (with Ali Ulvi Mehmedoglu), IZU Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 1, No. 2,2013 pp. 190 -205 (https:hdl.handle.net/20.500.12436/100                                                                 

Cultural, Artistic, And Literary Works

-Novellas

Sen de Rivayet Etsen, (If You Narrated To), Büyüyen Ay Publications, 2013

https://www.kitapyurdu.com/kitap/sen-de-rivayet-etsen-ruya-roman/325251.html

Sürüklenmek, (Flowing) Büyüyen Ay Publications, 2015

https://www.buyuyenay.com/yurdagul-mehmedoglu

-Articles and Essays on Art and Literature

“Yazıyorum, Yalnız Değilim ve Mahzeni Arayan Çok Kişi Var”, Türk Edebiyatı Dergisi, Issue 488, June 2014, pp..70-71.

“Fatih’in Kitaplı Bir Kadınını Yazmak”, Türk Edebiyatı Dergisi, Issue 49, 2014, August pp. 52-55

“Gün Doğmadan Zühreyi Çizmek, Türk Edebiyatı Dergisi, Issue 509, March 2016, pp. 60-61.

“Kalemden Bir Deli Akıyor”, Türk Dili Dergisi, Issue 766, October 2015, pp. 77-79.

“Issızın Nutku ya da Leyla”, Türk Dili Dergisi, Issue 773, May 2016, pp. 98-102.

Awards

- Ministry of Justice of Turkey-Appreciation, 2004

- Ministry of National Education of Turkey- Appreciation,2003

- Marmara University- Appreciation,2016

-Munster Üniversity -Thank

- Best Artwork Award at the EMI Congress, ICLEL International Entrepreneurship Congress, Hacı Bektaş Veli University, Nevşehir, Turkey, 2018

-Honorable Mention Award, Teraverna International Art Gallery, 11^th Open(theme) Competition , 2024

-Honorable Mention Award, Teraverna International Art Gallery, 11^th  theme abstract Competition , 2024

Courses and Certificates Received

2012-2014    Classical Turkish Arts Foundation, Illumination Art Education, Uskudar, Istanbul.

2011-2013     T.C. Uskudar Music Society, Turkish Classical Music Education, Uskudar, Istanbul.

2019-             Istanbul Design Center, Geometric Patterns Education, Fatih, Istanbul.

2020-2021      Reza Hemmatirad Miniature Workshop, Miniature Education, Fatih, Istanbul.

 

Courses and Workshops Taught

 

2016-Present     Gulaart Art-Studio, Istanbul, Turkiye

2017-2019        Classical Pattern Design- Trainer Workshop, Rüstem Art Gallery, Nicosia, Cyprus,

2017-2019        Classical Design Trainer Workshop, Yunus Emre Institute Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus,

2018-                Classical Design Trainer Workshop, Yunus Emre Institute, Cologne, Germany

2019                 Classical Pattern Design Workshop, ICLEL 5th International Conference on Life Education and     Leadership for All, June 09-11, Baku, Azerbaijan,

Other Group Exhibitions

-International EMI Entrepreneurship and Social Sciences Congress, Exhibition, with a classical form ("Head of Surah form - Classical Illumination") April, Nicosia, Cyprus, 2018

-International EMI Entrepreneurship and Social Sciences Congress, Exhibition, with named work with Ejderârâ and Cihanârâ", Cappadocia, Nevşehir. ,November 09-11, 2018,

- Cyprus, with Gencelli Group Exhibition, with work named 'the color is coming'.

- 3rd International EMI Entrepreneurship and Social Sciences Congress, Exhibition in Cyprus at KISBU with 'a reproduction work. June 28-30, 2019, Nicosia, Cyprus.

- 4th International EMI Entrepreneurship and Social Sciences Congress Exhibition in Istanbul at Nişantaşı University with named work ‘ streching to the time’, November 29-30, TURKIYE 2019.

- For  Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality with the work named "Trust", April 2015, Gaziantep,TURKIYE

- For Bab-ı Nun Traditional Art Studio, with the work named "For the Sake of Tulip-Zerefshan", , Bursa,TURKIYE

Art Perspective;

My artistic works mostly follow these three themes and their philosophies as phenomena.

1- Transformation and the 'Other'

2- Dramatic Journey of Letters and Languages and Migration

3- Metaphorical Contributions of Mythical Beings

These themes are often in the form of intertwined patterns. This pattern often indicates that everything that is different in life is connected to everything else.Transformation takes place in my works as an indispensable phenomenon and an existential event that the individual and the society cannot escape from. Transformation allows us to face the faces of existence by returning us from where we started in a spiral process. Confrontation, which I emphasize a lot in my designs. These are studies that point out that the inevitable component of humanity to complete all processes of life is 'other'. Amorphous forms are designs that I created, based on a blurry logic, that point to this uncertainty and open spaces open to our imagination actions.

Throughout my journey in the academy, I have been searching for answers to the meaning of life.  For this reason, I thought, wrote and took action about the appearances of meaning both in the field of philosophy and practical art. Since I believe that art is a way of confronting and reconciling social, societal and individual crises, I think this scholarship is a way for me to express common global problems. Additionally, I plan to use this oportinity to take my studies to the efective level. I want to achieve a more effective, simple, sustainable  power of expression by combining my art, which I have been doing for about 15 years, with modern art designs. I will use this opportunity to reach a common point of view between traditional and modern art-making styles in my own country and art movements in the United States. In addition to all this, since I am also an art philosopher, I will use the topics that I have been interested in in recent years, such as 'transformation', 'migration and the world of the nomad', 'journey of scripture' and mythical metaphors, to be closer to a discussion atmosphere in which I will deepen the meaning. The exceptional academic and research environment at this esteem university will provide the perfect setting in which to establish my independent research career, and I am confident that I will be able to build an innovative at your institute.

Presently, I am improving my rhetoric about identifying the artistic works being responsible for people defined as ‘other’ in every multi-cultural society. Using aesthetic phenomena for producing artistic visual sphere, I am highly motivated to write about relationships between conceptions of fine art and expressing of human existence. In that sense I am passionate to teach of art classical pattern designs of the Eastern World. In that sense I am passionate to teach classical pattern designs of the Eastern World.  

 I am currently preparing two art exhibitions describing (1) the discovery activities of script as a process of understanding the ‘others’ and (2) the discovery of a potent ‘undefined method’ via undetermined logical ways.

My independent research program is inspired by both my academical studies and fine art and will investigate topics at the interface of phenomenal background of Art with a focus on human resilience. A major aspect of my program will be the development of a methods to access complex "unusual component" of artistic works.

 And, I will looking for an open space for questioning ' is there any defining logical method to understand of an art work's meaning'. I am eager to lecture the role of the philosophy of art   with an wider vision multicultural diversities. As an educator, I am especially interested in teaching courses in art and poetical phenomenology. Eventually, I would like to develop my theory about ‘fuzzy logic-based method for philosophy of visual work’.

 

C-Two examples of how I promote diversity and inclusion and increase accessibility in my artistic practice;

My art is nourished by different cultures and the idea of ​​difference itself. The geography in which I produce art also affects my  work as a place where different cultures have lived together throughout history. For this reason, the solo exhibition I organized in Istanbul took its place in the art world under the name 'Unusual Component'.   This exhibition was a visual design of different writings and texts. Philosophical background and purpose of the exhibition is  that; ‘Languages, regardless of their sources, characteristics, and lifespans, are entities that serve the functions of memory and thought in the existential journey of humanity. To recognize that through language, humans are beings capable of speech is to underscore the constant preservation of their rational aspect, which enables their narrative.’ My exhibition has been visited by  so many passionate visitor and  taken a place as an effective voice of the multiculturel understanding at press. 

Another example is that I organized  workshops about my art style at the institutions, regardless of period, age, gender or race, in Baku and Cyprus. In these studies, participants were raised to the level where they could produce their own designs. In Germany and Vienna Yunus Emre Institutes encouraged adult individuals to make art as a part of adult education and brought together people from different cultures, creating an open-space for existential encounters on many issues such as environmental awareness and discrimination.