Bio
Born in Paris in 1991 and raised in Istanbul, Sarp Kerem Yavuz is a visual artist working primarily with photography, light projection, neon, and video.
His works explore various aspects of gender, politics, religion, and violence. He is the recipient of several international accolades, including the 2016 Palm Springs Photo Festival Emerging Photographer award, presented by Leica Camera, the 2013 New Artists Society Award from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the 2013 Leah Freed Memorial Prize.In 2013, he became the youngest artist to exhibit and be included in the permanent collection of the Istanbul Modern Museum. His works are also included in The Luciano Benetton Collection as part of Imago Mundi, in the permanent collections of the CICA Museum in South Korea, the Norton Museum in Florida, USA, the Allen Memorial Art Museum in Ohio, USA, the Polaroid Originals (formerly Impossible Project) Collection in Berlin, the Soho House Collection in Istanbul and New York, and The Marmara Hotel Collection in New York.He has been in over 30 exhibitions in Copenhagen, Sydney, Shanghai, New York, Chicago and Istanbul.He currently lives and works between Chicago and Istanbul.
EducationSchool of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA, 2015 - Master of Fine Arts in PhotographyOberlin College, USA, 2013 - Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art with Honors, Minors in Politics & Middle Eastern Studies
Honors & Awards Artists’ Fellowship Inc. New York - Artist Support Grant, 2018 International Photography Awards - Honorable Mention, 2017 Winner of the 5th ArtSlant Prize Showcase, 2016 Moscow International Foto Awards - Honorable Mention, 2016 Palm Springs Photo Festival Emerging Photographer Award from Leica Camera, 2016 Carol Becker Dean’s Award from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2013 New Artists Society Award from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2013 Youngest artist to exhibit & to be included in the permanent collection of the Istanbul Modern Museum, 2013 Leah Freed Memorial Prize for “In The Closet” thesis & photography series, awarded by the Oberlin College Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies Institute, 2012
Solo Exhibitions Curse of the Forever Sultan, light installation and sculpture exhibition, Hüsrev Kethüde Hamam, Istanbul, TURKEY Sep. 2018 LUNAR, photography exhibition, collateral event of the 15th Istanbul Biennial, Elgiz Museum, Istanbul, TURKEY Fall 2017 Masallah, Art Dubai international art fair, Yavuz Gallery Booth, Dubai, UAE Mar. 2017 SARP: Masallah, 11th Contemporary Istanbul, international art fair, Yavuz Gallery Booth, Istanbul, Turkey, Nov. 2016 Consular Exhibition, photography exhibition, held at the residence of the Consul General of France, Chicago, USA Sep. 2016 Projections, photography exhibition, Carl Hammer Gallery, Chicago, USA May—Jun. 2016 REVENGE, photography exhibition, Backyard, Istanbul, TURKEY Jan. 2016 They Used To Call Me A Fag, photography exhibition & performance, Oberlin College, Oberlin, USA Apr. 2013 Bridging the Gaps mixed media exhibition, ENKA Dr. Clinton Vickers Gallery, Istanbul, TURKEY Jun. 2009
Selected Group Exhibitions “Reds and Blacks” The Corner Gallery, Amman, Jordan Sep. 2018
Imago Mundi: Mediterranean Routes, Cantieri Culturali Alla Zisa, Palermo, ITALY Feb—Mar. 2017 Contemporary Photography Exhibition, CICA Museum, Gimpo-si, KOREA Summer 2016 Between You and Them, Australia China Art Foundation, Shanghai, CHINA Spring 2016 Extract V: Young Arts Prize, Kunstforeningen GL Strand Museum, Copenhagen, DENMARK Winter 2015-16 Winter Show, Carl Hammer Gallery, Chicago, USA Dec. 2015 Inaugural Exhibition, Australia China Art Foundation, Shanghai, CHINA Nov. 2015 Summer Show, Carl Hammer Gallery, Chicago, USA Jul.—Aug. 2015
MFA Thesis Exhibition, Sullivan Galleries at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA May 2015 Media Futures, video and interactive art exhibition, Sullivan Galleries at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA Winter 2014-15 A Sampling: (Put Away Your) Short Shorts, art film screening, The Comfort Station, Chicago, USA Oct. 2014
From the Ottoman Empire to Istanbul Modern, photography exhibition, Focus: Turkey, Landskrona Foto Festival, SWEDEN, Summer 2014 Beyond Nuclear: aberrations in family mixed media exhibition, Gallery 69, New York, USA May 2014 Never Satisfied, Defibrilator Gallery, Chicago, USA Mar. 2014 Boundaries, photography exhibition, Eisentrager-Howard Art Gallery, Lincoln, USA Oct. 2013 Young Fresh Different, CDA Projects Gallery, Istanbul, TURKEY Jun.—Jul. 2013 Close Quarters photography and video exhibition, Istanbul Modern Museum, Istanbul, TURKEY May—Nov 2013 Taksim Square: Then & Now drawing exhibition, Sakip Sabanci Museum, Istanbul, TURKEY Jun. 2008
