aysen kaptanoglu
Amsterdam, painter

biography

Aysen Kaptanoglu (°1985, Istanbul, TR) is living and working in Amsterdam after graduated from the Wacker Academy in Amsterdam in 2021. Leaving behind a career in literature, Kaptanoglu pursued her dream of studying fine arts. Aysen pours her memories, experiences and emotions into the canvas in an array of imaginary figures and dream-like spaces. This results in an archive of herself; a jamboree of pain, pleasure, and nostalgia that is as personal as it is political. Recurrent themes are the place of women in the violent chaos of a male-dominated society, loss, alienation, and the oppression of silenced groups. While the canvases look colorful, vibrant, even romantic at first glance, the narratives that are being played out on it are usually of a heavy story beneath the surface.