Emir Erkaya is a visual artist based in Istanbul.
Istanbul holds a unique political position that impacts critically on the life of any artist working here;
The city has significantly shaped both his artistic practice and his personality.
Faith and the pivotal positioning of the phenomenon of god, spirituality, and this duality form the
fundamental interests of his art practice. His works question the tendency of human spirituality and its relationship with libido.
In some of his works, Erkaya prefers not to use perspective desiring a simplification within the complex juxtapositions that place the viewer as both subject and object of the (politically) charged paintings.
The legacy that Erkaya inherits from Eastern Art and the tradition of Miniatures is pulled into the contemporary lens of an artist living in Istanbul who presents an aesthetic closely aligned to the power
of outsider art but from the contradictory place of the inside.
I visualized all the scandals and affairs within Turkish Political History using the theme of a circus, with each show pointing to a particular scandal.
I had been doing research about intellectuals from past to present who have been murdered because of their political identity in Turkey. My desire was to create a work of art that would document these people and the corruption affairs.
That was the main inspiration for this piece.