Olgu Ülkenciler’s fifth solo exhibition, “Decisive Moments in History”, can be viewed at Art On İstanbul’s Tepebaşı space from May 8 to June 9, 2018.
The exhibition takes its title from a collection of short essays by Stefan Zweig. Inspired by the book, the artist constructs a narrative around pivotal events and figures that have historically turned the wheels of revolution. Through the selected events and characters, Ülkenciler opens a luminous window onto human history. Her paintings feature moments such as humanity’s first contact with space, the French Revolution, as well as transformative figures like Spartacus, who rebelled against slavery, and Shostakovich, who refused to leave his country during World War II while composing the Leningrad Symphony.
In her series-based paintings, Ülkenciler adapts plastic techniques to suit the subject matter. Compositions in the exhibition are constructed using figure abstraction, typographic elements, decorative motifs, and propaganda poster designs. The use of silver and gold leaf to highlight figures, combined with dark tones, cool blues, earthy colors, and bright linear interventions, brings the spirit of the time to the forefront.
Since her first solo exhibition, Olgu Ülkenciler has focused on the subject of the individual striving to transform themselves within the existing social order, examining the transformations undergone by masses and the human at the center of these processes. With “Decisive Moments in History”, she presents a critical response to today’s generally pessimistic world, emphasizing the power of the individual and offering a hopeful perspective on humanity, as if to proclaim “the human anew.”
OLGU ÜLKENCİLER
Born in Istanbul in 1981, Olgu Ülkenciler completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at Yeditepe University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Painting. In her early works, she explored adulthood, womanhood, sexuality, urbanity, and individuality within the framework of her social position. From 2007 onwards, she incorporated modern everyday scenes into her works through a lens of social critique. Ülkenciler selects a conceptual foundation for her series and develops a plastic approach that supports the ideas she explores. Geometric elements, motifs, and typographic graphics inform her painting, while color and technique adaptations strengthen the critical narrative.
In recent years, Ülkenciler has focused on themes of “reconstruction” and “the human,” addressing the end of postmodern narratives centered on dehumanization through the concepts of reconstruction and the new human. Her solo exhibitions include Zevkli Rezalet (2013), Das Fenomen (2011), Ev Kızı (2009), and Made in Ülkenciler (2006). She has also participated in numerous national and international group exhibitions.
Olgu Ülkenciler continues her practice in Istanbul.