Nancy Atakan has been an active figure in the Istanbul arts scene as an artist, teacher, art historian, and art critic for over 40 years. She received her Ph. D from Mimar Sinan University in 1995. Her practice, which spans most possible mediums, concentrates on topics such as the relationship between image and word, the meaning of belonging, gender politics, memory, and globalization. Often autobiographical, these subjects are relevant to her personally as an American who has lived and worked in the metropolis of Istanbul since 1969. All of her work involves research, collaboration and dialogue as it incorporates observations of current events and references to history and culture. Permeated with touches of lightness, historical narratives and weighty issues within her work are brought closer to everyday life. Believing the art arena to be a space for experimentation and developing alternative models for living, as a part of her art practice, she co-founded in 2007 the Istanbul based art initiative/project space, 5533.
Nancy Atakan, b. 1946, USA, lives and works in Istanbul.
Major exhibitions include; Translation in Motion, (with Maria Andersson), Riksidrottsmusett, Stockholm, Sweden (2020); Forward March, (with Maria Andersson) SALT Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey (2019); Making a Shift, (with Maria Andersson) Galleri Box, Göteborg, Sweden (2019); Under the Radar: 5533 (with Volkan Aslan), ISCP, Brooklyn, USA (2018); Before the Past - After the Future, 6. Canakkale Biennial, Turkey (2018); A Community of Lines (solo), Pi Artworks, Istanbul, Turkey (2017); Sporting Chances (solo), Pi Artworks London, UK (2016); Small Faces, Large Sizes, Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art, Istanbul, Turkey (2015); Dream and Reality - Modern and Contemporary Women Artists from Turkey, Istanbul Modern, Turkey (2011); Istanbul Next Wave, Akademie der Kunst, Berlin, Germany (2009-2010).
For more information and other projects, please visit: http://www.piartworks.com