Bio

London based textile artist, Deniz Kurdak, has been honing her skills in both hand and machine embroidery since 2016, shortly after her dislocation from Istanbul. Originally a theatre designer, Deniz blends her interest in needlework with her visual story-telling skills, which derives from her education in Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University.

Deniz’s work is highly autobiographical. They evolve from personal mythologies, homing in on themes of relationships, belonging, culture, architecture and identity. With her hometown, Istanbul, being under urban and cultural transformation, the connection between memories and space appears as a liminal element in most of her pieces. 

Deniz has taken part in several group exhibitions, and her short animation movies have been screened in many international film festivals, including the highly acclaimed Portobello Film Festival. Formerly an academic member of staff, Deniz has also conducted several workshops at universities in Switzerland, Turkey and The U.S.A.

Statement

I draw and paint with thread. Working with the medium of textile art, I like to reimagine the meanings of cutting, sewing, and mending by adding a concept of emotional repair and rewriting our own stories. I am not interested in capturing likenesses or telling stories with fixed interpretations. Instead, I try to create symbolic work that explores our perceptions of ourselves and the larger culture. I like to depict contradictions, combining the beautiful and the disturbing. I am intrigued by the opposing dynamics such as belonging and alienation, truth and illusion.

Embroidery poses unique challenges and limitations, such as rigid lines and a predetermined colour palette. The beautiful oddness of the medium seems tailor-made for expressing my secret thoughts in my deeply personal pieces.

Being dislocated forces me to investigate identity, relationships, roots and culture. Most often, memory and space is my main theme. I believe places and objects have the power of triggering a rush of emotions or memories often long past, just like scents do. 

Stitching, whether it be free-motion embroidery or hand embroidery, has a meditative effect. It lowers one’s heart rate. Due to its ritualistic and repetitive nature I -almost unconsciously- delve deeper into my thoughts and discover and develop many more layers about my initial starting point -and memories that shape it- whilst working on it.

@kurdakdeniz

When did your interest in art begin vs. when you began thinking of it as a career/life choice?

I had always been an artsy child and my intrigue never abated. Around the age of 15 or 16, when I realized art is more of a form of expression and not only intuitive play for me, I decided to prepare my application for the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, the most prestigious art school in my region. I was accepted and my life as an artist officially started.
What draws you to your particular subject matter?

I like to reimagine the meanings of cutting, sewing, and mending by adding a concept of emotional repair and rewriting our own stories. It’s my attempt to reflect on relationships, reprocessing the remnants of my memories and past, and/or current surroundings.  

What interest of yours (outside of art) ends up influencing your practice the most?

Architecture, psychology, and probably reading fiction.

What is one piece of advice you wish you could give your younger self?

Never doubt yourself.

What would you say is your biggest goal for this year?

Working hard, worrying less, and being open.