Sinem Dişli was born in Urfa, Turkey. She earned her BFA degree in Sculpture at Dokuz Eylul University and Master of Fine Arts degree in Photography at Marmara University with the dissertation thesis titled: The Use of Photography in the Art Movements of the 20th Century and Photography’s Relationship with the Concept of Avant-Garde. In 2008, she was awarded a scholarship to attend the School of Visual Arts in New York, and participated in visual arts programs at ICP and The Cooper Union. She was invited to residencies at Triangle Arts Association and ISCP, New York in 2015, Marble House Project, Vermont in 2020, LMCC New York, in 2022. In addition to six solo exhibitions: ‘Hollows and Mounds” 2019, “RUTUBET”, 2017 “Cereyan (Currents)”, 2015. “Anamnesis”, 2013. “Intiba” (First Impression), “Özdirenç” (Resistance) 2007, Anxiety, 2004 , her work was shown internationally in numerous exhibitions such as “A Pillar of Smoke” (The Rencontres d’Arles, 2018), “You Are What You Eat” (Krakow Photo Month, 2019) .“Sandstorm–And Then There was Dust”, (Galerie im Körnerpark, Berlin, 2021), “Crystal Clear”, (Curator: Elena Sorokina, Pera Museum, 2020) She was featured as one of the “7 Promising Photographers to Watch at At Arles Festival” by The New York Times in 2018, and was nominated for The Prix Pictet Award in 2019, Shpilman International Prize 2020. in 2022: April, Future and Contemporaneity, 14 Bienal de La Habana/March, Sound is the Silence of the Image, Foto Wien, Vienna. Driven by environmental issues in Mesopotamia and around the Euphrates River, her practice challenges the colonial framework of prevalent archaeological and geological approaches by engaging with the landscape as an extended body with which we are interdependent. From emphasizing biodiversity to linking geologic time with environmental crises, her work comments on the materiality of nature and its relation to various cultural practices.
EDUCATION
2004 – 2007 Master of Fine Arts, Marmara University Photography Department, Istanbul, Turkey The Use of Photography in the Art Movements of the 20th Century and Photography’s Relationship with the Concept of Avant-Garde, MFA Thesis
2000 – 2004 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Sculpture, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey
ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND COURSES
2011 Developing a Personal Project, Corinne Botz, Cooper Union, New York
2010 Regarding Intimacy, Saul Robbins, International Center of Photography, New York
2009 Art and Photography, Anne Gorrissen, International Center, New York
2005 Photographing of Silahtaraga Power Plant and its Concept of Visualization, Orhan Cem Cetin, Bilgi University, Istanbul
2005 Creativity, Expression and Getting to Know Oneself in Photography, Orhan Cem Cetin, Aksanat, Istanbul
2005 Choreography as a Strategic Problem in Contemporary Performance Arts, Safak Uysal, Aksanat, Istanbul
2004 Thoughts on Photography and Sociology, Gamze Toksoy, Aksanat, Istanbul
SELECTED AWARDS AND RESIDENCIES
2020 Marble House Project Artist Residency Program, Dorset, Vermont
2016 Open Spine (Artist Book Making), Nico Baumgarten & Michela Polermo, Mimar Sinan Istanbul
2015 Triangle Arts Association Residency Program, New York
2015 Intiba, FUAM Photography Book Dummy Award Selection, Mimar Sinan University,Istanbul
2014 Intiba, Unseen Book Dummy Award Selection, Unseen Photo Fair, Amsterdam
2008 Summer Residency Program, School of Visual Arts, New York
2004 Young Talents in Turkish Photography, Geniş Açi Photography Magazine, Turkey
2004 Turgut Pura Sculpture Award, 1st Place, Izmir
2003 Originality in Printmaking Award, 1st Place, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir Resume
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2019 ‘Hollows and Mounds: A Take on Göbeklitepe’, which compromises photographs, videos, paintings and installations are exhibited simultaneously at the Ara Güler Museum and Leica Gallery Istanbul between September 15th-February 15th
2017 RUTUBET, Photography and mixed media, TOZ artist run space, Istanbul
2015 Cereyan (Currents), Photography and mixed media exhibition, Empire Project Gallery, Istanbul
2013 Anamnesis, Photography installation, AyzART independent art space, New York
2011 Intiba (First Impression), Photography exhibition, Han38, Istanbul
2007 Özdirenç (Resistance), Photography installation, Yakin Kitabevi Gallery, Izmir
2004 Anxiety, Photography exhibition, İletisim Kitabevi Gallery, Izmir
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS & FESTIVALS
2021 This Place, Curator: Kevser Güler, Yapı Kredi Kültür Sanat, Istanbul
2020 Sandstorm – And Then There was Dust, Curator: Sarah Maske, Deposu, Istanbul
2020 Crystal Clear, Curator: Elena Sorokina, Pera Museum, Istanbul
2020 “Scale / Ölçek”, Curator: Ezgi Bakçay, Versus Art Project, Istanbul
2019 “Faust” Protect Me from What I Want, Tüyap Fair, Istanbul
2019 You Are What You Eat, Kraków Photo Month, Poland
2018 A Pillar of Smoke, Les Rencontres d’Arles, Arles, France
2018 Distant Points of Interest [within close range], Large Meadow, Ariel Sanat, Istanbul
2018 Intiba (First-impression), Selanik Fotoğraf Festivali, Selanik, Greece
2018 Monomyth / Monomit, Galeri Nev, Istanbul
2018 Printed ‘18, Mixer, Istanbul
2018 Becoming: Cure as Care / Olagen, Daire Sanat, Istanbul
2018 Intiba (First-impression), İzmir Ekonomi Üniversitesi Sergi Salonu, İzmir
2018 Havza / Watershed, The Circle Space, Istanbul
2018 Intiba (First-impression), Accademia Belle Arti di Macerata, Macerata, Italy
2018 Intiba (First-impression), Belgrade Photography Festival, Belgrade, Serbia
2018 The Animal Side / Hayvanların tarafı, Mixer, Istanbul
2017 Intiba (First-impression), Gazebook-Sicily Photobook Festival, Palermo, Italy
2017 Intiba (First-impression), Plovdiv Photography Festival, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
2017 Intiba (First-impression), İstanbul Photobook Festival, Istanbul
2017 Intiba (First-impression), Polycopies Photobook Fuam, Paris, France
2016 Intiba (First-impression) Bursa PhotoFest, International Bursa Photo Festival
2016 Les Glaneurs et Les Glaneuses, Toplayıcılar Versus Art Project, Istanbul
2016 Intiba (First-impression) Fotoistanbul, Beşiktaş Photography Festival, Istanbul
2016 Intiba (First-impression) Bursa PhotoFest, International Bursa Photography Festival
2016 Les Glaneurs et Les Glaneuses, Toplayıcılar Versus Art Project, Istanbul
2016 Intiba (First-impression) Fotoistanbul, Beşiktaş Photography Festival, Istanbul
2016 Intiba (First-impression) Cosmos Books, Arles Photography Festival, Arles, France
2016 Intiba (First-impression)İstanbul Photobook Festival, Istanbul
2016 Trans Form Fault, Cereyan, af Galerie, Berlin
2016 A-R-A-L-I-K, Torna (project space for contemporary art), Istanbul
2013 Moiré’s of Transformation, FotoIstanbul International Photography Festival, Istanbul
2013 Imprint – First Impression, SemihaEs International Photography Symposium, Istanbul
2013 Voyage, UNSEEN Photography Art Fair, Amsterdam
2012 Imprint – First Impression, UNSEEN Photography Art Fair, Amsterdam
2012 Global Positioning System (So You Say You Want a Revolution), School of Visual Arts, New York
2010 Tahattur (Yeniden Hatırlama) (Anamnesis), Vienna Art Fair, Vienna
2010 Tahattur (Yeniden Hatırlama) (Anamnesis), x-ist Gallery, Istanbul
2010 x-plore Vol I, x-ist Gallery, Istanbul
2008 Residency Exhibition, SVA Studios, School of Visual Arts, New York
2004 Young Talents in Turkish Photography v.02, Istanbul Photography Center, Istanbul
2004 Young Talents in Turkish Photography, Izmir K2 Art Gallery, Istanbul
ARTIST BOOKS & CATALOGUES
2019 “Hollows and Mounds: A Take on Göbeklitepe”, Artist Book, Ara Güler Museum Publishing House
2017 “Rutubet”, Artist Book, Self-published
2016 “Aralık”, Artist Book, Collective Publication
2016 “Les Glaneurs et Les Glaneuses / Toplayıcılar”, Exhibition Book, Versus Art Project
2013 “İntiba”, Artist Book, Self-published
2013 “Anamnesis / Tahattur”, Exhibition Catalog, X-ist
2011 “Intiba / First Impression”, Exhibition Catalog, X-ist
PUBLICATIONS
2018 “Nedir Gene Deli Gönlünü Çelen, Sappho ”, Book Cover Photo, Can Publishing House
2018 “Arles 2018 : Les rencontres de la photographie”, Festival Catalog, Actes Dus Editions
2016 “Modern and Contemporary Approaches to Photography in Turkey”, History Book, Yem Publishing House
2004 “Young Talents in Turkish Photography”, Geniş Açi Photography Magazine
PUBLICATIONS OF CURATED EXHIBITIONS
2008 “Quiet Resistance – Pictorialism in Russian Photography”, Alexander Rodchenko, Sergei Lobovikov, Alexander Grinberg, Yuri Yeremin, Aleksei Mazurin…, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
2008 “Brid6e / Photographers in Galata”, Ahmet Elhan, Murat Germen, Cemal Emden, Orhan Cem Çetin, Merih Akoğul, Ömer Orhun, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
2007 “Double of Life”, André Kertész, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
2007 “Sixty Years of Magnum”,with Diana Dufour, Robert Capa, David Seymour, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Werner Bischof, Erich Lessing, Elliot Erwitt, Eve Arnold, Burt Glinn, Ian Berry, Marc Riboud, Rene Burri, Joseph Koudelka, Eli Reed, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
2007 “Who are you?”, Ahmet Polat, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
2007 “I Love Boras, photographs by Lars Tunbjörk”, Lars Tunbjörk, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
2006 “In the Light of the Republic – The Photographs of Othmar Pferschy”, Othmar Pferschy, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
2006 “Right Place, Right Time”, Gökşin Sipahioğlu, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
2006 “True Stories”, François-Marie Banier, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
SELECTED TEXTS, REVIEWS AND INTERVIEWS
2020 “Taşların Uğultusu: Oyuklar ve H.yükler, Göbekli Tepe’ye Bir Bakış”, Hüseyin
Gökçe, Sanatatak
2019 “İstanbul 2019”, Deniz Gül, Unlimitedrag