Berat Işık

Berat Işık was born in Diyarbakır in 1976. After studying painting at the University of Dicle, he started working as a drawing teacher at secondary schools of his region, alongside his artistic activity. He has participated in many group exhibitions in Diyarbakır and Istanbul. In 2004, he received an excellence award in the 23rd Exhibition of Contemporary Artists for his work "Eyes Wide Shut" (2001). Işık focuses on video as his sole artistic medium. With the exception of his documentary "Where Bluebirds Fly" (2008), his films are short, never more than a few minutes long. Işık systematically borrows their titles from films or pop songs from Western culture and completely changes their content, setting the action in an unconventional context that sometimes borders on the absurd, without hesitating to combine modern and traditional elements. His videos are often underpinned with black humor, questioning the influence of popular culture on the collective memory. His videos have been shown in many exhibitions and festivals, including the Placebo Effect in Berlin (2004), Free Kick in Istanbul (2005), and the Istanbul Film Festival (2009). Işık currently lives and works in Diyarbakır.

Reference: newmedia-art.org, sparwasserhq.de, art-core.tv