Alumna Elif Uras ‘03 Publishes First Monograph in Conjunction with Site-Specific Installation in Istanbul

By
Logan Reed
January 02, 2019

Alumna Elif Uras '03 recently published her first monograph alongside a site-specific installation, The Source, in Instanbul, Turkey. Turkish-born, Uras is a painter and ceramicist whose site-specific installation, The Source, was realized under the leadership of Galerist as part of Kale Group’s 2018 project in support of ceramics in art and will be on view at a historic storefront in Istanbul between November 24 and December 30.

According to ArtsyThe Source, “featur[es] a functioning ceramic fountain, a tiled wall, and new drawings presented in ceramic frames. Uras’s new body of work draws from various cultural references and explores ideas of shared heritage, hybridity and pluralism.”

Her monograph is a collection of essays by internationally renowned writers Ahu Antmen, Amy Smith-Stewart, Kathy Battista and Merve Ünsal, and is edited by independent editor, curator and writer İpek Ulusoy Akgül. According to Daily Sabah, the monograph "investigates critical issues around the feminist undertones of her works, [and[ how the artist utilizes ‘traditional’ techniques in her ceramic objects, and how her unique patterning and ornamentation connect these works with her paintings." The publication also includes a conversation between the editor and the artist, and an extensive visual documentation of Uras’s works.

Kale Group’s President and CEO, Zeynep Bodur Okyay states, “This year, we are proud to be supporting the publication of the first monograph of our internationally renowned contemporary artist Elif Uras. The ceramic works of Uras, through which we can witness the artist’s distinct imagination, generate an exceptional experience for us. Uras’s first monograph sheds light on her practice through texts by distinguished writers, facilitating further recognition of her practice within Turkey and beyond. Uras traces the diverse traditions of our geography and transforms them into something unique and contemporary, which I believe is a critical contribution to our global discourse.”

Uras works and lives in both New York and Turkey and before attending Columbia’s School of the Arts, the artist attended Brown University and Columbia Law School before receiving a bachelor's degree in arts from the School of Visual Arts. According to Artsy her “notable solo exhibitions include: Déjà Vu (The Box, Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London, 2017); Hayal Meyal (Galerist, Istanbul, 2016); Nicaea (Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Connecticut, 2015); Panorama Arcade (Galerist, Istanbul, 2008); Drawing Disconnect (Kirkhoff, Copenhagen, 2008); The Occidentalist (Smith-Stewart, New York, 2007); Industry (GAVLAK, West Palm Beach, 2006); Private Collection (Kenny Schachter/ROVE, New York, 2004) and What You Want (Galerist, Istanbul, 2004). Her works have also been exhibited at MoMA PS1, Salon 94, New York, 9th Shanghai Biennale, Proje 4L/Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art, and Pera Museum. They are included in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ringier Collection, Zurich, Collezione Maramotti, Reggio Emilia, among others.”