ARTIST: tulu bayar
Art Histories are highly curated presentations of an artists’ life’s work provided for appreciators today, scholars of tomorrow, and generations to come.
Tulu Bayar is a Turkish-born American artist and educator whose work draws from the philosophical teachings of Rumi, focusing on spiritual unity and the interconnectedness of humanity. As an immigrant artist, Bayar's practice explores the complexities of straddling two cultures, blending her experiences from both her native Turkey and adopted home in the U.S. Her process-oriented work examines themes of exoticism, otherness, and cultural hybridism, often using multidisciplinary approaches.
Bayar holds a BA from the University of Ankara and an MFA from the University of Cincinnati. Her diverse body of work, spanning various artistic mediums, has been featured in numerous solo and curated exhibitions across the U.S. and internationally, including Germany, Denmark, the UK, France, Turkey, Italy, and China. Her art is part of several prominent public collections, including Belfast Exposed Photography, Samuel Dorsky Museum, Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art in Istanbul, the Textile Museum at George Washington University, and Samek Art Museum.
Bayar's work has been recognized and supported by various prestigious grants and fellowships. She is the recipient of the Puffin Foundation Grant (2024) and the Mellon Confounding Problems Project Grant (2023). In 2017, she was awarded the Fulbright Scholar Grant. Her artistic endeavors have also received funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the Ténot Foundation’s artist residency grant at Camac Centre d'Art in France, and the Center for Photography at Woodstock Artist-in-Residency Grant, which is funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation. Additionally, Bayar has received the William Sackett Fellowship from the Virginia Center for Creative Arts Residency.
Her work has garnered critical acclaim, with coverage from major media outlets such as NPR, Creatrix, Hyperallergic, Cultbytes, WhiteHot Magazine, The Irish Times, Afterimage, Photography Quarterly, TRT (Turkey’s national public broadcaster), Bushwick Daily, Wall Street International Magazine, and Art in America.
Bayar’s most recent solo exhibitions include her show at Ferda Art Platform in Istanbul, Turkey (January 2024), accompanied by a catalog, and exhibitions at Amos Eno Gallery in Brooklyn, NYC (November 2023) and Strata Santa Fe in Santa Fe, NM (April 2023), both featuring limited edition catalogs. She was also featured in a notable curated group exhibition “Show me Your Papers” at Public Gallery in Providence, RI (May 2024), which will continue touring throughout the U.S. until 2026.
Through her work, Tulu Bayar continues to explore the intersections of identity, migration, and cultural hybridity, inviting audiences to engage in meaningful reflections on the immigrant experience and the universal connections that bind us all.
“My work is a journey through the unseen, where cultural fragments and personal histories come together to challenge boundaries and form new, layered realities. Through the intersection of the visible and invisible, I create spaces for reflection, inviting viewers to explore the complexities of self, culture, and transformation.”
COLLECTION: Twine
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Artist Statement
Immigration fosters one of the most profound dualities— a hybrid identity that blends a deep loyalty to one's country of origin with a developing connection to a new home. This blending of cultures creates a rich, multifaceted identity that significantly contributes to a culture’s diversity. In the U.S., immigrants have long been a vital part of the cultural fabric, infusing unique traditions, and innovative ideas into the evolving identity of the US.
Yet, despite these contributions, immigrants are often reduced to a singular narrative, marginalized by systemic obstacles and stereotypes that overlook the complexity of their experiences. To understand immigration is to understand not only the act of relocation but also survival, reinvention, and the ongoing negotiation between past and present.
My artistic practice is rooted in exploring this hybrid identity, particularly within immigrant communities. I use process-oriented mediums to bring these themes to life. In "Twine," my recent body of work, I employ citrus transfer prints to delve into utopian geographies and my personal immigrant experience. This eco-friendly process offers a distinctive aesthetic, transforming each image into a soft, dreamlike state that mirrors the fluid nature of memory, identity, and cultural hybridity.
The citrus transfer print process is crucial to “Twine”, mimicking the complexity and layered experience of “naturalization.” Each print embodies the idea of transformation and reinvention, much like the immigrant journey itself. Through these imagined hybrid landscapes, I create a space where my own hybrid identity can be explored and where viewers are invited to engage in a journey of introspection.
In this work, I echo photographer and writer Varun Nayar’s reflection: “Photographers who explore critical geographies enhance photography’s role in constructing and critiquing our conception of place.” This resonates deeply with me as an immigrant artist, navigating the delicate dance between two cultures, two languages, and two geographies. My commitment to holistic sustainability and eco-friendly practices runs through my work, drawing from teachings on love and compassion, particularly those of Rumi, who emphasized unity and understanding.
"Twine" delves into themes of identity, migration, and the imagined landscapes of marginalized geographies. It is my hope that through these works, I can create bridges between disparate worlds, fostering empathy and a deeper understanding of the overlooked inner world of immigrant identity. By intertwining the personal with the universal, I aim to create immersive, contemplative spaces where viewers are invited to reflect on their own stories and the interconnectedness of humanity, as they slowly uncover every detail within each image.
CATALOG
Twine
Essay by Nina Chkareuli-Mdivani
Design by Mary Strein
Published by Andrew Mellon Confounding Problems Grant
COLLECTION: TRACES
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Artist Statement
Traces is a series of mixed-media works made from photographic film, ink, and resin. Through calligraphy, performance, drawing, and Turkish marbling art (ebru), this work focuses on the spiritual rather than the physical. Inspired by Rumi's teachings, I explore ideas of wholeness and mysticism.
In these pieces, I think about how we experience emotions unconsciously, much like how sounds—such as a pause or a change in tone—affect us without us seeing them. Working with unexposed film allows me to engage with what’s invisible, making the creative process itself visible. I usually begin each piece with a social issue in mind, but as the work unfolds, it evolves beyond its literal meaning, opening a space for viewers to connect emotionally. That's when I know the piece is complete.
As an immigrant artist, my work is shaped by both my native and adopted cultures. I explore themes like exoticism, otherness, and hybridism, focusing on how these experiences challenge simple categories. Through my art, I aim to dissolve rigid boundaries, encouraging viewers to question preconceived notions of identity and culture. By blurring the lines between the familiar and the foreign, the visible and the unseen, I invite deeper reflection on how we define ourselves and others. My work offers a space for discovery, where new connections and ways of understanding can emerge.
CATALOG
Izler - Traces
Essay by Cihan Yıldız
Published by Ferda Art Platform
COLLECTION: chimera
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Artist Statement
My artistic practice spans various mediums, including sculpture, photography, video, drawing, installation, and printmaking. As a Turkish-born American artist, I navigate the duality of existing between two worlds, a reality many immigrants share. My work reflects the immigrant experience, exploring themes of hybridism, exoticism, otherness, memory, trauma, and journey. I draw inspiration from visual elements found in both Asia Minor and the United States, blending them into a distinct hybrid language.
The concept of a chimera—a mythical creature made up of separate, coexisting parts—mirrors the way I approach my art. These parts maintain their uniqueness while forming a new, unified whole. This idea of combining unrelated elements into a cohesive form speaks to innovation and transformation, which I embrace in my work.
Chimera both honors and challenges my inherited identity, balancing playfulness with the deeper exploration of fluidity and rootedness as complementary forces. Layers of texture, color, and form create a kaleidoscopic narrative where symbols shift and evolve as the viewer engages. Mediterranean, Balkan, and East European motifs, along with depictions of the female form, suggest new experiences and ways of being.
My goal is to question value systems in art and society, examining how they obscure or elevate our reflections on identity. This body of work, rooted in themes of feminism, globalization, and collective and individual trauma, is informed by both the political unrest of my youth and my recent personal journey through cancer and survivorship. In embracing vulnerability, chaotic patterns, and self-exposure, Chimera represents a space of transformation and resilience.
ISLAMIC FASHION
Single Channel Video by Tulu Bayar, 2015
Duration: 3:50, No sound
Click the video below to watch an excerpt.
Islamic Fashion focuses on the cultural debates surrounding women’s place in Islamic culture and society. This video highlights the increasing political tension surrounding the Islamic modest clothing and how it is being used as symbolism for Islamic ideology.
CONFLUENCE
2-Channel Projection by Tulu Bayar, 2006
Duration: 13:30, Original score: Ercan Irmak, Sound Design: Tulu Bayar
Click the video below to watch an excerpt.
Confluence focuses on the cultural debates surrounding women’s place in Islamic culture and society. The work is an autobiographical investigation of identity and expresses the interpretations of both observed situations and actual moments from life. With careful formal choices and theatrical elements, the video is charged with a tension that results in a hypnotic experience for the viewer. This two-channel video projection aims to distill complex identity issues into simple, evocative gestures.
SETTLEMENT
2-Channel Projection by Tulu Bayar, 2004
Duration: 8:44
Click the video below to watch an excerpt.
Settlement is a multi-channel video projection intending to draw attention to the water scarcity issue existing among Jewish and Muslim communities in Middle East. For this project, I worked with two women –one Jewish, one Muslim- who share the same land and natural resources to continue their existence. They both performed spiritual cleansing in their own ways before the camera sharing the same jug of water.
I believe that the water conflict is one of the main issues embedded into politics facing the Middle East Region. Living with this problem throughout my childhood, I experienced how the political, symbolic and historic essence of water and its connection to land have made compromise and agreement difficult for both communities.
With this body of work, I intend to draw attention to “water,” not only as a source and essence of life, but also a tool for spiritual cleansing in both faiths. The work is my response to a world in which water is not shared peacefully, but is rather a source of conflict.
CATALOG
Merkez Kayiyor / Center is Spreading
Essay by Melike Bayik
Published by Ferda Art Platform
CATALOG
Playground
Essay by Mary Brantl
Published byThe Kozmetsky Center of Excellence in Global Finance & St. Edwards University
CATALOG
Portraits: Reflections on the Veil
Essay by Reina Lewis
Published by Belfast Exposed Photography
CATALOG
Sayfa /Page
Essay by Ozge Altinkaya
Published by Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art
PRESS
Highlights Include:
A View From the Easel
This week, artist studios in Montana, New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
Written By Lakshmi Rivera Amin
Studio view. Image courtesy of the artist and Hyperallergic
Citra-Acid Dreams: Tulu Bayar at Amos Eno Gallery
Written by Anna Mikaela Ekstrand
© Tulu Bayar, Installation view Twine, 2023. Photograph courtesy of the artist.
Tulu Bayar “Cans, Pills & Bullets”
Written by Amos Eno Gallery
© Tulu Bayar, Pills, gelatin silver print, maple board, archival glue, 40 x 40 x 2 1/2 in. Image courtesy of the artist and NY Art Beat.
FAP Talks ─ lX
Interview with Richard Rinehart & Tulu Bayar
Image of Richard Rinehart and Tulu Bayar. Image courtesy of Ferda Art Platform.
Tulu Bayar’s Works Are Journeys Contained Within Surfaces
Written by Sarah Penello
© Tulu Bayar, Traces installation view, 2021
Artist Tulu Bayar:
Shifting from Traditional to Digital Photography
Written by Alexandra Israel
Tulu Bayar in her studio. Photo courtesy of the artist and Grit Daily.
Q and A with a Turkish-American artist Tulu Bayar
Interview with Tulu Bayar by Nina Chkareuli-Mdivani
Installation view of Twine at Amos Eno Gallery, New York, 2023. Image courtesy of the artist.
To acquire artwork from Tulu Bayar’s collection, email info@amiepotsicartadvisory.com.
Click here to download Tulu Bayar’s CV.
To learn more about the artist: www.tulubayar.com
Banner Image: © Tulu Bayar, What Could Have Been but Never Was a Place That Implies, Citrus transfer print on cotton paper with hand-applied paste made from soil, sand, water, and vegetation collected from various geographical regions of the USA and Turkey, 14.5 x 5 inches, 2023
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