SERGEN ŞEHİTOĞLU
Born in 1980 in Istanbul, Sergen Şehitoğlu studied at St. Joseph High School and mechanical engineering at Yıldız Technical University (YTÜ). He continued his master’s studies in photography at Marmara University and after his first solo exhibition at I.F.M Leica Gallery his works have been exhibited in various museums, galleries and art fairs in Istanbul, Berlin, Brussels, Amsterdam, London, İzmir, Ankara, Bursa, Eskişehir, Basel, Paris, Vienna, Dubai and Barcelona.
Recently creating works in the field of post-internet, the artist presents his data visualizations as photographic/visual products.
The material Şehitoğlu uses in his recent productions is cheap visuals obtained via the internet and Google tools that are used by many artists.
These works, which both redefine the boundaries of photography and question the limits of the concept of privacy in a world dominated by control systems, can be considered as an exercise to look at current subjects and tools.
Since 2020, he has been continuing his creative works in the field of window display design and has been designing displays for various brands.
Having published the books “O dB” in 2013, “Kill Memories” in 2016 and “Seascapes (at lockdown)” in 2021 Şehitoğlu is one of the founding members of the photography initiative GFI and founder-editor of the independant art magazine “xx-yy-magazine”(www.arsivdergi.com).
Additionally, he serves as an instructor at Istanbul Fashion Academy (IMA), teaching courses on aesthetics, art and window display design.
He is the art consultant of YUNT Art and Interaction Space. (www.yunt.art)
He lives and works in Istanbul.He is represented by Sanatorium Gallery Istanbul.
www.sanatorium.com.tr
“Sergen Şehitoğlu’s fundamental concern is to focus on his period and on its conditions. His photographs, on which he’d been working on for the past few years, focused directly on the contemporary people’s living conditions and experiences. Challenging the concept of privacy in a world that redefines the boundaries of photography and where systems of control reign supreme, these works carried Sergen’s practice to a whole new level, as a contemporary tool and as an exercise of viewing such issues. Drawing our attention, through his photographs, to how uses of technology and to how they bend our understanding of ethics, the artist allows the spectators to observe the situation from a whole new perspective “
Solo Exhibitions
“06.2023-35-exhibition” – Sanatorium, Istanbul (2023)
“Seascapes (at lockdown)” – Sanatorium, Istanbul (2021)
“Pebbles” – Sanatorium, Istanbul (2020)
“GSV_Singapore” – Bilsart, Istanbul (2020)
“Trials: On Fonction” – Tasmektep, Adatepe (2019)
“Chance and Necessity” coll. with Kerem Ozan Bayraktar – Sanatorium, Istanbul (2018)
“Trials: 310 Artist Portraits” – Sanatorium, Istanbul (2017)
“Kill Memories” – Backslash Gallery, Paris (2016)
“cubbyhole” – Sanatorium, Istanbul (2015)
“This is İnönü” – Foto Istanbul Photography Festival, Istanbul (2014)
“0 dB” – Sanatorium, Istanbul (2013)
“3” Underground – K2 Contemporary Art Center, Izmir (2012)
“2” New Underground – Art-Place, Berlin (2011)
“1” Turning – Before it came – Underground – Photography Center of Istanbul Leica Gallery (2010)
Group Exhibitions
“Map Play Game” curated by Ferenc Grof and Ludovic Bernhardt, La Box ENSA, Bourges (2024)
“On a Beam of Light” curated by Begüm Güney, Taksim Sanat, Istanbul (2022)
“ A bit of Unruly Complexity” curated by Misal Adnan Yıldız, Sanatorium, Istanbul (2022)
“Saint-Joseph: Battements d’une machine fabuleuse”, curated by Aslı Seven, Lycée Saint-Joseph Istanbul (2021)
“At the End of the Day” , Odunpazarı Modern Museum, Eskişehir (2020)
“Perform and Negogiate” curated by Ali Taptık, 212 Photography Festival, Istanbul (2020)
“Lens’19” curated by Sena Çakırkaya, Mixer, Istanbul (2019)
“Fragments of a Hologram Rose” curated by L.Blanco & L.Bernhardt, Sanatorium, Istanbul (2019)
“Sweet Little Lies” curated by Marcus Graf, Plato Istanbul (2018)
“Encounters” ( with Anna Barlik, Julian Palacz ), SCAG Vienna (2018)
“27.11” – Backslash Gallery, Paris (2014)
“Sublime/Yüce”, Sanatorium , Istanbul (2014)
“Arada Interdisciplinary Art Festival”, Istanbul (2012)
“Summer Show”, Foto8 Gallery, London (2012)
“Energ’etic View”, I.M.S.G Istanbul (2011), IFSAK (2011), Contemporary Art Center Ankara (2011)
“Lycée Saint-Joseph 140th Year Exhibit” (with A.Sel – M.Germen), Swissotel The Bosphorus (2010), Lycée Saint-Joseph Istanbul (2011)
“My Istanbul”, Bahcesehir University (2009), European Commission Berlaymont Building Brussels (2010)
“About Water”, Nazım Hikmet Cultural Center (2007)
“Family”, IFSAK (2007)
Fairs
Photo London – Solo Show, London (2024)
SWAB – Solo Show, Barcelona (2022)
Art Dubai – Solo Show, Dubai (2022)
Art Brussels, Brussels (2022)
Contemporary Istanbul, Istanbul (2023, 2022, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2013)
Vienna Art Fair, Vienna (2018, 2013)
Volta 11 Art Fair, Basel (2015)
Art International, Istanbul (2014)
Publications
“xx-yy-magazine”, self published biannual art magazine, (2020 – ongoing )
“Seascapes (at lockdown), Book Published by Sanatorium, 2021
“9 information cards” for the book “Rocks and Winds, Germs and Words”, Kerem Ozan Bayraktar, 2019
“Kill Memories”, Book Published by Espas, 2016
“Istanbul Codex – Contemporary Artists from Turkey”, Book published by Antiga Edizioni, 2016
“cubbyhole”, Exhibition booklet
“0 dB”, Book Published by Espas, 2013
The Glocal Museum, Issue #2
“Weekend portfolios”, Le Journal de la Photographie, 21.07.2012
Silvershotz International Journal of Fine Art Photography, FOLIOS, 2011
F-stop Magazine, Issue #47
“1”, Exhibition catalogue
Design Works
Hermes Window Displays, Istanbul, 2020-ongoing
Penti Window Displays, Istanbul, 2022-ongoing
Brothers Lounge Design, Istanbul, 2023
Koton Window Displays, Worldwide, 2024
Les Benjamins Design, Istanbul, 2024
Abdullah Kiğılı E.C., Turkey, 2024
Gilan Window Displays, Istanbul, 2021
Anim Window Displays, Istanbul, 2022
Kısmet by Milka Window Displays, Istanbul, Dubai, 2022-ongoing
Arçelik Window Displays, Istanbul, 2022
Anatolian Craft Window Displays, Istanbul, 2022
Performances & Seminars & Artist Talks & Workshops
“The Work Of Art In The Age Of Reproduction”, artist talk with Ceylan Önalp and Enise Burcu Derinboğaz, CIF Dialogues, Istanbul (2023)
“The subtleties of art publishing – I: Content, editing, funding and printing”, artist talk with Merve Akar Akgün and Shulamit Bruckstein, Arter, Istanbul (2023)
“Why does an artist produce a work of art with a single color?”, artist talk with Begüm Güney and Gözde Mulla, Istanbul (2022)
“Blockchain Technologies and NFT’s at Art Fairs”, artist talk with Elyo Elvaşvili and Adnan Yerebakan, Akaretler, Istanbul (2022)
“NFT and Metaverse”, artist talk with Zeynep Pakel, Azra Tüzünoğlu, Özhan Kakış, Spot.ter talks Bilsart, Istanbul (2022)
Lecture-performance on chemistry science, prepared for Kerem Ozan Bayraktar’s exhibition, Sanatorium, Istanbul 2019
“Landslide”, with Ali Miharbi, Kerem Ozan Bayraktar, Yağız Özgen, Salt Galata Istanbul, 2017
“Kill Memories” Book signing, Polycopies Paris, 2016
Workshop, Y.T. University, Istanbul, 2016
“Post-Internet”, Marmara University, Istanbul, 2016
“Photography and new media”, I.T.University, Istanbul, 2015
“This is Inonu”, Bahcesehir University, 2014
“0 dB”, Uludag University, Bursa (2012)