Yaprak Akinci was born in Istanbul in 1984.
Her work is profoundly affected by the frantic architectural transformation and unfettered construction that she has observed over many years. With the confines of the city relentlessly pushed back, her paintings suggest the inevitability of barren landscapes, where consumption has given way to degeneration and, ultimately, extinction.
Her dark interpretation of colour and use of intangible forms and structures create a sense of heightened tension but also one of potent silence.
A graduate of the illustrious Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Akinci has produced work in sectors as varied as graphic design, photography, cinema and engraving, all of which continue to inform and enrich her compositions.
In 2010, she moved to Rome to study for a Masters in Graphic Arts, where painting became the focus of her artistic output. Her first personal exhibition was held in the city in 2014. Since 2015 she has lived in London and Istanbul and travels and works between these cities.
EDUCATION
Accademia delle Belle Arti di Roma, Masters in Graphic Arts, 2014
Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University of Istanbul, Bachelors in Graphic Design, 2010
Upcoming Exhibition
2023 Milli Reasurans Art Gallery, Istanbul
SOLO EXHIBITION
2014 Remnants, Cultural Office of the Turkish Embassy, Rome
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2019 Elevate 02, The Shard, London
2019 Counter Balance, Trinity Art Gallery, London
2019 Discovery Sessions, Trinity Art Gallery, London
2019 Contemporary Connections, Willesden Gallery, London
2017 Celeste Prize, Bargehouse, London
2017 Trace, Mavi Art Studio, London
2013 Factory Festival, MACRO, Rome
PAINTING PERFORMANCE
2012 Affordable Art Fair AOP Project, MACRO, Rome
WORKSHOP
2012 3rd International Art Dialogues, Istanbul
FAIRS
2018 Artrooms, London
2017 Artrooms, London
AWARDS
2017 Celeste Prize 3rd Place, London
2016 International Confederation of Art Critics 1st Place, London
2015 UbqArt Award 3rd Place, London
2013 INAIL Painting Award Finalist, Rome
2013 ‘XXVII FIBRENUS’ Finalist, Sora
2012 ‘l’Arte Genera l’Arte’ PremioTerna04 1st Place, Rome
PUBLICATIONS
2017 International Confederation of Art Critics, ‘’Yaprak Akinci - Meditative Solitude of Subconscious''