BIO

Ebru Duruman

Born in Istanbul, Turkey 1992

Lives & works in Geneva, Switzerland

Ebru Duruman is a Turkish female painter born in 1992 in Istanbul, Turkey. She attended the Rhode Island School of Design and graduated with a B.Arch and a B.F.A , and worked for several years at the renowned Pei Cobb Freed & Partners before turning to painting full-time. She currently lives and works in Geneva Switzerland.

Duruman's abstract depictions unveil the interaction between the corporeal and emotional realms, portraying sexuality as a bridge between body and mind. Duruman's works invite viewers to contemplate the complexities of identity and the fluidity of desire. Each detail in Duruman's works becomes a tool for reclaiming autonomy and embracing authenticity, giving birth to powerful imagery that results from the interplay of abstraction and figurative art.

The intimate connection with colors and forms rooted in her childhood, alongside her desire to illuminate insights about sexuality and selfhood, perfectly converge. The stark transition between her early works depicting lifeless figures and her recent pieces encapsulates her personal artistic odyssey marked by the struggle to reconcile societal norms with her individuality, infusing Duruman's figures with tangible physical presence. The depicted figures transform into self-portraits, shedding light on her introspective gaze toward representations of her body and sensory experiences. Although distorted forms depicted may seem to contradict with the vivid color palette at first glance, together with the interrupted aggressive brushstrokes blended with the tamed fluid lines give the audience a hint to the artist's inner conflict.

The bodies painted by Duruman show a distinctive amorphic pattern with thick layers of paint; this brings to mind the layers in the flow of life where one has to hide their authentic selves in the outside world. As a stable and familiar space, home becomes emblematic of the only environment where the constraints of societal norms can be shed, allowing us to embrace our true selves without inhibition. Walking through the exhibition, confronting the large-scale oil paintings featuring significant body parts invites the viewer to reckon with self.