BAŞAK ÇOLAK
2DBaşak Çolak was born in Ankara in 1994. She completed her undergraduate education in English Language and Literature at Hacettepe University in 2018. She worked in language-related fields such as translation, content editing, and teaching. Alongside, she began participating in various exhibitions and freelance projects. To fully dedicate herself to her artistic production and visual arts, she moved to Bodrum. She started her undergraduate studies at Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University's Bodrum Fine Arts Faculty, Department of Painting, in 2020 and graduated as the top of her class in 2024. During this time, she participated in group exhibitions, workshops, and artist residency programs in various cities. Çolak continues her postgraduate education and artistic production in Bodrum.
As someone who moved from the city to the countryside, making nature observations and interpreting life through nature has consciously become my priority. The root of the modern human's struggles, alienated from their surroundings, lies in their disconnection from both their inner and outer nature. We see how crucial the process of self-discovery, understanding, and acceptance is not only for the individual but also for society and the environment. I reflect these dichotomies—such as inner and outer, nature and culture—through observation and experience in my work. My work involves a process of destruction and reconstruction. Transcending the known or learned into both a conceptual and visual dimension is one of my main efforts. My landscape works, which could be described as abstractions, contain imaginary and autobiographical stories.
My practice includes quick sketches on paper, found surfaces, and the application of oil paint, watercolor, and ink on canvas. In works recorded instantly with quick brushstrokes, the composition and color palette are guided by the emotions of the moment. The spirituality I aim to present should touch the soul as well as ignite a search within the viewer's mind. In this way, the fluid nature of truth and reality and the absence of a single absolute can also be addressed. The organic structure of nature and its constant state of transformation grant it power and freedom. Can humans also step outside their boundaries and perceive themselves and life in this way?
2020 “Z” Report, 6+1 Studio, Ankara, Turkey
2022 Abant Izzet Baysal University, 2nd Student Painting Competition, Bolu, Turkey
2023 Grey Area, Spring Selection II, Ayvalık/Balıkesir, Turkey
2023 Eskipazar, “Ahenge” Group Exhibition, Dalyan/Muğla, Turkey
2023 Sıtkı Davut Koçman 2nd National Painting Competition, Muğla, Turkey
2024 “A.R.C Year Show II”, Ambidexter, Istanbul, Turkey
2024 “Waiting for Spring”, Galeri Deniz, Istanbul, Turkey
2024 Graduation Exhibition, Şevket Sabancı Cultural and Art Center, Bodrum/Muğla, Turkey
Başak Çolak was born in Ankara in 1994. She completed her undergraduate education in English Language and Literature at Hacettepe University in 2018. She worked in language-related fields such as translation, content editing, and teaching. Alongside, she began participating in various exhibitions and freelance projects. To fully dedicate herself to her artistic production and visual arts, she moved to Bodrum. She started her undergraduate studies at Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University's Bodrum Fine Arts Faculty, Department of Painting, in 2020 and graduated as the top of her class in 2024. During this time, she participated in group exhibitions, workshops, and artist residency programs in various cities. Çolak continues her postgraduate education and artistic production in Bodrum.
As someone who moved from the city to the countryside, making nature observations and interpreting life through nature has consciously become my priority. The root of the modern human's struggles, alienated from their surroundings, lies in their disconnection from both their inner and outer nature. We see how crucial the process of self-discovery, understanding, and acceptance is not only for the individual but also for society and the environment. I reflect these dichotomies—such as inner and outer, nature and culture—through observation and experience in my work. My work involves a process of destruction and reconstruction. Transcending the known or learned into both a conceptual and visual dimension is one of my main efforts. My landscape works, which could be described as abstractions, contain imaginary and autobiographical stories.
My practice includes quick sketches on paper, found surfaces, and the application of oil paint, watercolor, and ink on canvas. In works recorded instantly with quick brushstrokes, the composition and color palette are guided by the emotions of the moment. The spirituality I aim to present should touch the soul as well as ignite a search within the viewer's mind. In this way, the fluid nature of truth and reality and the absence of a single absolute can also be addressed. The organic structure of nature and its constant state of transformation grant it power and freedom. Can humans also step outside their boundaries and perceive themselves and life in this way?
2020 “Z” Report, 6+1 Studio, Ankara, Turkey
2022 Abant Izzet Baysal University, 2nd Student Painting Competition, Bolu, Turkey
2023 Grey Area, Spring Selection II, Ayvalık/Balıkesir, Turkey
2023 Eskipazar, “Ahenge” Group Exhibition, Dalyan/Muğla, Turkey
2023 Sıtkı Davut Koçman 2nd National Painting Competition, Muğla, Turkey
2024 “A.R.C Year Show II”, Ambidexter, Istanbul, Turkey
2024 “Waiting for Spring”, Galeri Deniz, Istanbul, Turkey
2024 Graduation Exhibition, Şevket Sabancı Cultural and Art Center, Bodrum/Muğla, Turkey
