TUNCA

Born in İzmir in 1982, TUNCA graduated from the Painting Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. Since the early 2000s, he has produced works across various media including paper, canvas, sculpture, installation, video, and performance. His artistic practice is shaped around themes of historical memory, cultural identity, and political phenomena. In his work, he explores the layers of memory along a spectrum that extends from official histories to personal narratives; moving beyond documentary narration, he questions the notion of witnessing within his artistic practice. Although he brings together different techniques, the core of his production consists of large-scale photorealistic charcoal drawings on paper.

 

His works are included in the permanent collection of Istanbul Modern, as well as in the collections of institutions such as the Proje 4L Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art, Evliyagil Museum, Baksı Museum, and Odunpazarı Modern Museum (OMM). His works have been featured in the Çanakkale Biennial and the Istanbul Biennial (Mantı Magazine). He has also given talks, workshops, and presentations at various museum and art events, as well as at events such as the Istanbul Gastro Economy Summit, Bozcaada Local Flavors Festival, and Bozcaada Gathering. In his Bozcaada-based research, he collaborated with Assoc. Prof. Ümit Hamlacıbaşı on the project titled “Kykeon,” focusing on the island’s culinary history. Within this project, they reinterpreted the ancient recipe of this beverage for the present day, presenting it through video, performance, and tasting sessions.

 

Recent solo exhibitions include “Kitchen With No Reception / Muhatabı Olmayan Mutfak” (İmalat-Hane, Bursa, 2024), “Misfortunes and New Joys / Bedbahtlıklar ve Yeni Hazlar” (Galerist, Istanbul, 2021), “Terra Amata” (Galerist, Istanbul, 2017), “Desire” (artON, Istanbul, 2014), “Residue / Kalıntı” (Pi Artworks, Istanbul, 2012), and “Little Boy” (Sanatorium, Istanbul, 2010).

 

Selected group exhibitions include “Wide Expanse / Ferahfeza” (OMM, Eskişehir, 2026), “Floating Islands / Yüzen Adalar” (Istanbul Modern, Istanbul, 2026), “Dormant States of the Awakened Movements / Aşikâr Hareketlerin Gizli Hâlleri” (Bilsart, Istanbul, 2024), “Under Two Suns / İki Güneş Altında” (OMM, Eskişehir, 2023), “Wizard and the Garden / Büyücü ve Bahçe” (Erimtan Archaeology and Art Museum, Ankara, 2021), “Haunted by Faces / İzleyen Yüzler” (Evliyagil Museum, Ankara, 2021), “At the End of the Day / Günün Sonunda” (OMM, Eskişehir, 2020), “Paper: A Selection of Turkish Contemporary Art” (Pilevneli Project Mecidiyeköy, Istanbul, 2019), “In Pursuit of the Present / Şimdinin Peşinde” (Istanbul Modern, Istanbul, 2018), “First Round” (Galata Greek Primary School, Istanbul, 2018), “Table Manners” (The Genia Schreiber University Art Gallery, Tel Aviv, 2018), “Water Was Here Before” with Superflex (Corridor Project Space, Amsterdam, 2017), “All the Light We Cannot See / Göremediğimiz Tüm Işıklar” (Galerist, Istanbul, 2017), and “Because We Are Here Where We Are Not” with Hera Büyüktaşçıyan (Kasa Gallery, Istanbul, 2017).

 

Among his projects are talks, workshops, and presentations focusing on the relationship between gastronomy and art. In addition, the short films “İZ” (2011) and “ID” (2008), for which he wrote the screenplay and served as art director, were invited to the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner. These works also received the Best Experimental Film Award at the 20th International Istanbul Short Film Festival and have been screened at various national and international short film festivals.

 

In 2009, he became one of the founders of the Sanatorium Civil Art Initiative and participated in Euroshaper – The 1st Artist Initiatives Meeting in the same year. His installation-performance “Floating Shanty (Yüzen Gecekondu)”, realized on the shores of the Golden Horn in 2005, stands out among his early public space projects.

 

The artist was invited to the Cité Internationale des Arts residency program in Paris in 2017, Artport in Tel Aviv in 2018, and Saha Studio in 2022.

 

TUNCA lives and works in Istanbul and Ayvalık.