Gülsün Karamustafa (b. 1946, Ankara) graduated from Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts in 1969. She participated in the International Istanbul Biennials (1987, 1992, 1995); Kwangju (2000); Havana and Çetinje (2003); Sevilla Biennial (2004); Guangzhou Triennial, Cairo Biennial (2008); Singapore Biennial (2011), Kiev Biennial (2012), Thessaloniki Biennial (2013); Sao Paulo and Gwangju Biennial (2014). His works are in the Nationalgalerie Hamburger Bahnhof (Berlin), Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), Museum of Modern Art (Warsaw), Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, MUMOK, Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig (Vienna), Tate Modern (London), Guggenheim Museum (New York), Van Abbe Museum Eindhoven, Istanbul Modern, among others. The artist lives and works in Istanbul.
Portrait Muhsin Akgün
All images Gülsün Karamustafa

GÜLSÜN KARAMUSTAFA
TURKEY

Four Panthers, Two Prayer Rugs, An Isa, Baby Violinist, Stars and Tulles, 1980 - 2022.
Textile collage, 240 cm x 260 cm.

Melancholic Sahmaran, 1980-2022.
Textile collage, 120 cm x 160 cm.

These two new textile collages evoke the syncretic mix of cultures that define the matrix of Mardin. The works consist of fabrics collected by the artist in the 80s from Istanbul and from various places she visited during her travels in south-eastern Turkey. The current period is characterised by a wave of migration from rural eastern and southeastern Turkey to large cities and the clash between markets, metropolises and migrant cultures.