Artist of the Month: Alev ÖZAS

Painter Alev Özas was born in 1977 in Istanbul. Her interest in art began in childhood. After graduating from the Textile Department of the Anatolian High School of Applied Arts, she studied theater. In 1998, she shifted her focus to visual arts and was accepted into the Painting Department of Marmara University, from which she graduated in 2002. She worked with Prof. Dr. Ramiz Aydın on tachism and color-harmony studies. After graduation, she created large-scale mural paintings, designed stage sets, and worked as an art teacher. In 2005, she adopted an abstract expressive figurative style and worked for eight years as the chief assistant in Prof. Dr. Devrim Erbil’s atelier. After becoming a mother, she opened her own studio and began painting Istanbul landscapes with a focus on color. Between 2002 and 2024, she held 10 solo exhibitions and participated in over 60 group exhibitions. She continues her artistic work in Istanbul.

Hikmet Çetinkaya

We are excited to announce our collaboration with Hikmet Çetinkaya, one of the successful artists from the Grup Art Gallery. Hikmet Çetinkaya graduated from the Painting Department of Gazi University, Faculty of Education, in Ankara in 1982. In 2002, he opened an art house called Arc-En-Ciel Maison D'art Paris in France, where he organized artistic events for five years. In 2013, he established a studio in Toronto, Canada, where he continues his artistic work alongside his studio in Ankara.

Throughout his artistic career, Çetinkaya has held a total of 165 solo exhibitions, 56 of which were abroad. Since discovering oil painting in 1976, he has produced over 30,000 works in 46 years. A documentary about the artist was prepared by the Photography Art Institution (FSK). In recognition of his contributions, an exhibition space in the Nazım Hikmet Congress & Art Center, built by the Yenimahalle Municipality in Ankara, was named the “Hikmet Çetinkaya Exhibition Area,” honoring the artist.