Born in 1960 in Istanbul, Selma Gürbüz (@gurbuz_selma) started her art education in 1980 at Exeter College of Art Design in England. In 1984, she graduated from Marmara University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Painting. Gürbüz has participated in many exhibitions in Paris, Rome, Buenos Aires, Barcelona and Barcelona, as well as in different cities in Japan, and his works are in various collections such as The British Museum in London, Galerie Maeght Collection in Paris, Istanbul Modern, Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum.

Photographs: Courtesy of Selma Gürbüz Art and Education Foundation

SELMA GÜRBÜZ
TURKEY

Pearl Crying Woman, 2020. Soft sculpture, 52.5 cm x 33 cm.
Bearded Woman, 2020. Soft sculpture, 55 x 42 cm.
Masai Woman, 2020. Soft sculpture, 185 cm x 36 cm.
Woman with Mace, 2020. Soft sculpture, 42.5 cm x 34 cm.
Girl with Ribbon, 2020. Soft Sculpture, 110 cm x 32 cm.
Woman with Four Eyes, 2020. Soft Sculpture, 60 cm x 33 cm.

This presentation is a shrine to the loving memory of Selma Gürbüz, whose friendship continues to nourish us. According to the artist, this mask series depicts women who have a special interest and longing for nature and whose belief in freedom is indispensable. The mask is an important part of the feminist arsenal, a tool of empowering revitalisation, communion, disguise and subversion. For some, the gift of anonymity given by the mask can be extraordinarily liberating, suggesting the only way into their true selves.