art
Zehra Başaran
Zehra Başaran (b. 1971, Istanbul) graduated from the Department of Art Education at Marmara University Atatürk Faculty of Education in 1995. In 2006, she completed her Master's degree in the Department of Painting at the same university.
Since 2006, Başaran has held numerous solo exhibitions at venues including Maltepe Art Gallery, ENKA Dr. Clinton Vickers Art Center, Artisan Art Gallery, Düş Yolcusu Art Stop, and Gallery Akdeniz. Alongside her solo exhibitions, she has participated in numerous group exhibitions, art fairs, and art events both in Türkiye and internationally.
Since 2015, Başaran has been represented by various galleries at major national art fairs, most notably TÜYAP, as well as ArtAnkara, ArtContact Istanbul, the Bodrum Art and Antiques Fair, and the Istanbul Art and Antiques Fair. Internationally, she has participated in art events including the Art Parma Fair, Quintessenze Tivoli, and Euroexpoart Vernice.
Since 2012, the artist has taken part in numerous national and international symposiums and workshops, where she continues to develop her artistic practice. Her work has also been featured in various publications and interviews, including Psikeart Magazine.
Başaran received the Jury Special Award at the Şefik Bursalı Painting Competition, organized by the Ministry of Culture, in 2007 and 2008. She has also received awards in painting competitions organized by the municipalities of Ümraniye and Pendik.
Manifesto
The artist reinterprets the traditions of classical painting through a contemporary perspective. While remaining committed to a classical pictorial language in both technique and form, this choice stems from a desire to establish a direct, accessible, and universal connection with the viewer. For the artist, what defines a work as contemporary is not its technique, but its ability to reflect the emotions, thoughts, and lived experiences of the present day.
At the core of the practice lies an exploration of the human condition and the meanings individuals derive from their lives. Through a restrained and lucid visual language, the artist seeks to reveal the emotional and existential dimensions of everyday experience.
In recent works, the artist draws inspiration from the story of Noah's Ark, reinterpreting the flood through its before, during, and aftermath. This series explores an inner journey toward simplicity and purity by leaving behind the burdens that weigh people down. Structured around the motifs of the journey, its travelers, and their stories, the works reflect on what truly remains in times of profound upheaval. Through the metaphor of Noah's Ark, the artist suggests that by turning inward—with only a few essential possessions carried through the storm—we rediscover peace, happiness, and the fundamental values that define our humanity.
