Fatoş İrwen Diyarbakır, Turkei

Fatoş İrwen was born and raised in the historical Sûr neighbourhood in Diyarbakır, Turkey. After having received her bachelor's degree in visual art department in Dicle University, Diyarbakır, she taught art in secondary schools in Batman, Diyarbakır and then Istanbul for approximately ten years. Throughout her years-long production process, the artist examines issues related to justice, power dynamics, belief systems, geography, and body politics. She creates works that focus on the effects of these matters on the individual and society in various fields such as video, photography, painting, textile, installation and performance. İrwen, an artist and activist, was imprisoned in Diyarbakır Prison for three years (2017-2020) due to political reasons. Despite facing prohibitions and unfavourable conditions, she continued to create art during this period. Among the highlights of the artist's performance-based works are the reflections of the experiences of the individual on memory, subconscious and dreams, as well as the relationship between space and body.

Her solo shows include Improper (Galerie Stadtpark, Krems, 2024), Sûr (Zilberman Berlin, 2023), and Exceptional Times (curated by Ezgi Bakçay and Wenda Koyuncu, held simultaneously in Karşı Sanat and DEPO Istanbul in 2021). Her selected group shows include: Us.19 Fundemental Rights. 19 Artistic Positions. (curated by Kristina Volke, Art Council of the German Bundestag, 2025), Böse Blumen (Evil Flowers) (curated by Kyllikki Zacharias, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Germany, 2024), Unfair Game (curated by Pınar Öğrenci, EXILE, Vienna, 2023), I Am Nobody. Are You Nobody Too? (curated by Selen Ansen, Meşher, Istanbul, 2022), All Water Falls into Language (curated by Naz Kocadere, İstanbul Edebiyat Evi, 2022), Look Up, Starry Horizons of the Limited Geography (curated by Yekhan Pınarlıgil, Gölyazı Kültürevi and Balat Kültürevi, Bursa, 2022), 5th International Mardin Biennial (curated by Adwait Singh, 2022), Of Paper (curated by Selin Akın, Ferda Art Platform, Istanbul, 2021), Art in Dark Times (organized by bi’bak, Haus der Statistik, Berlin, 2020), Heritage / Matrimonio (curated by Gudrun Wallenböck, Gallery Enrique Guerrero, Mexico City, 2019), Not What You Think! (Hinterland Galerie, Vienna, 2018), Post-Peace (curated by Katia Krupennikova, Württembergischer Kunstverein, Stuttgart, 2017). Fatoş İrwen lives and works in Istanbul and Diyarbakır.