Bio
Belgin Sağlam is a contemporary artist based in Istanbul, Turkey (Turkiye).
As a multi-media artist, Sağlam draws frequently and paints in oil and acrylic. Recently, she has taken on creating beautiful miniature sculptures. However, her main production is comprised of contextually encoded oil paintings that reference cultural and current events. Sağlam describes her works as out of the box, dramatic and often surprising.
Sağlam was born in Iskenderun, Turkey. Early on it was apparent to those around her that she possessed a natural born gift for painting. Sağlam began creating art in 2002. In 2005, she started attending Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts in Istanbul and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting in 2013.
For the past 10 years, she has focused on her career as a fine artist. Recently, Sağlam has garnered acclaim for her paintings. Her first award was for winning a Painting and Sculpture Art Contest at Cukurova University in Turkey in 2007! In 2010, Sağlam was awarded 1st prize in the Ankara Bar Association Painting Art Contest in Ankara, Turkey and in 2011 she was one of three winners to place in the Akdeniz University “AKDENIZ ART-1” Mediterranean Art Days Art Contest at the Expo Center in Antalya, Turkey.
Her current focus is the context art-based oil paintings. As a contextual artist, Sağlam encodes her works with visual metaphors that provide a framework for the subject matter. For her paintings, she pulls from everyday life, taking realistic objects out of their typical context and reassembling them into ambiguous surrealist landscapes. The paintings’ themes serve to critique or analyze controversial social aspects of life and history, such as abortion, plastic surgery and technological advancements.
Starting first with an idea, Sağlam creates a full picture in her mind. Then, she creates about 60 sketches per painting to make sure the composition is acceptable. Finally, she begins to paint in oil, translating the real-life objects in front of her onto the canvas. Sağlam is partial to a sterilized studio environment. She works alone, in silence, from noon until 2:00 am creating “new worlds on canvas.”
Her works are on sale at saatchiart.com and singulart.com
The artist now works and lives in Istanbul (Turkey)
Sağlam’s paintings have been exhibited in group exhibitions including “Fine Arts-Culture Association Exhibition,” Istanbul Kültür University, İstanbul, Turkey (2010); “M.S.G.S.U Group Exhibition” 19th Istanbul Art Fair, Tuyap, Istanbul, Turkey (2009); and “M.S.G.S.U Group Exhibition” 18th Istanbul Art Fair, Tuyap, Istanbul, Turkey (2008). Additionally, her paintings are in private collections across the globe.