Mimiko (Gözde ‘Mimiko’ Türkkan) (1984, Turkey) is an artist based in Istanbul who mostly produces videos, photography series, artist’s books and text-based works. The first decade of her practice focuses on gender identities & roles and socially constructed identities while attempting to shed light to some of the deepest drives, desires and fears of the human being through a subjective documentary approach. It also emphasises the human body as the most common outward manifestation of the sexual, psychological, emotional and sociological identity. Besides conducting research aimed at developing ongoing projects, she aims to collect the visual and written materials she is drawn to in daily life and through her own bodily experiences, and reveal the connections and flows between them. As a new phase, she has been working towards exploring the expression of the inner flow — ‘innergy’ — in human bodies and water-bodies for the last three years.
Following a BA degree in Photography & Video from Istanbul Bilgi University in 2008, Mimiko received her MA Fine Art degree in the University of the Arts London, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in 2010. In addition to her solo exhibitions in Turkey, France and Geneva, she participated in group exhibitions and screenings such as ‘Art Speaks Out’ – IkonoTV COP27 screening, Witness of the Flow, Cendere Art Museum (Istanbul 2022), In Memoriam, Campus Biotech (Geneva 2021), Send Me an Image: From Postcards to Social Media, C/O (Berlin 2021), Every Inclusion is an Exclusion of Other Possibilities, SALT Beyoğlu (Istanbul, 2015), Focus:Turkey, Landskrona Fotofestival (Sweden, 2014), Close Quarters, Istanbul Modern Museum of Modern Art (2013), !f İstanbul Independent Film Festival (2007).
Mimiko is the founder of SyncSociety, a phygital art network which creates and propagates content for the visibility of artists.
2009/2010
University of the Arts London, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, MA Fine Art
2008/2009
Photography courses instructor at Istanbul Bilgi University Visual Communication Design Department
2004/2008
Istanbul Bilgi University Faculty of Communication Photography & Video Department, BA
2002/2003
Pierre et Marie Curie University Paris, Physical Science Department
1990/2002
Lycée Français Pierre Loti d’Istanbul
Languages
Turkish, French, English, German
2023
Apr 2023 Enchanter la Terre, Château du Rivau, Léméré/FR
2022
Nov 2022 (Leaving) the house where we grew up, Monitor İzmir/TR
Oct 2022 Witness of the Flow, Cendere Museum, Istanbul/TR
Sep 2022 Your Body is a Battleground, Agah Uğur Collection exhibition, Istanbul/TR
Jan 2022 What Water Knows, Pilot Galeri, Istanbul/TR
2021
Nov 2021 In Memoriam, Campus Biotech, Geneva/CH
Nov 2021 Water Paintings, Analix Forever, Geneva/CH
May 2021 Send me an Image, CO/Berlin, Berlin/DE
2020
Mar 2020 La Puissance et la Grâce, Analix Forever, Geneva/CH
2019
May 2019 Video Forever 40 by Analix Forever, Danysz Gallery, Paris/FR
Feb 2019 Beau Ideal – Gözde Mimiko Türkkan & Pınar Yoldaş, Pilot Gallery, Istanbul/TR
2017
Sep 2017 Object(s) of Desire, 2017 Louisville Photo Biennial, 21c Museum Hotel, Louisville/USA
Jan 2017 Jeunes Talents, Capitale Galerie, Paris/FR
2016
Jul 2016 Toplayıcılar/Les Glaneurs et Les Glaneuses, Versus Art Project, Istanbul/TR
2015
Sep 2015 (re)present exhibist: 2 years, Mixer Gallery, Istanbul/TR
Aug 2015 Chemcraft, Espacio Gallery, London/UK
Jun 2015 Every Inclusion is an Exclusion of Other Possibilities, SALT, Istanbul/TR
2014
Nov 2014 Ci Editions, Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair, Istanbul/TR
Nov 2014 La Quatrieme Image Photography Fair, Paris/FR
Jun 2014 Focus: Turkey exhibition, Landskrona Photo Festival/SE
2013
Nov 2013 Semiha Es Women Photographers International Symposium, Istanbul/TR
Sep 2013 Unseen Photography Fair 2013, Amsterdam/NL
Jun 2013 Taktil After Work Kulturprogramm, Taktil Workshop, Basel/CH
May 2013 Istanbul Modern’s Close Quarters Exhibition, Istanbul/TR
2012
Nov 2012 Full Art Prize Exhibition, Istanbul/TR
Jun 2012 Scope Basel Art Fair, Basel/CH
Apr 2012 Sotheby’s Auction Contemporary Art – Turkish, London/UK
2011
Nov 2011 Christie’s Auction “Visions d’Orient – De l’orientalisme à l’art contemporain”, Paris/FR
Jun 2011 Human Exhibition, The Empire Project, Istanbul/TR
May 2011 Art HK 11 International Art Fair, Hong Kong
May 2011 Vienna Art Fair, Vienna/AT
May 2011 Caravane 1.2, Art of Mena, Paris/FR
May 2011 Dissecting & Patching Exhibition, Vol de Nuits, Marseille/FR
2010
Nov 2010 Contemporary Istanbul 10, Istanbul/TR
Oct 2010 Intersection IV Exhibition, Gallery x-ist, Istanbul/TR
Sep 2010 Central Saint Martins MA Fine Art Degree Show, London/UK
2009
Apr 2009 6th Ufat Photography Festival, Bursa/TR
2008
Dec 2008 Untitled Exhibition, santralistanbul, Istanbul/TR
Oct 2008 Tershane Taze Beyinlere Ihtiyacımız Var Exhibition, Istanbul/TR
Sep 2008 Istanbul Bilgi University Photography & Video Dept. From Multigrade to Multitouch Exhibition, Photokina Fair, Cologne/DE
2005-2008 Istanbul Bilgi University VCD and POV Depts. Annual Students’ Works Exhibition, Istanbul/TR
2007
2007 !f Istanbul Independent Film Festival, Istanbul/TR
Jan 2024
Cité Internationale des Arts, Atelier Turquie, Paris/FR
Jan 2022
Istanbul Biennial ÇAP Production and Research Programme, Istanbul/TR
Jan 2020
Atelier AMI Residency, Geneva/CH
Jan 2018
Centre Social le Pertuis, La Rochelle/FR
May 2017
Centre Intermondes, La Rochelle/FR
Apr 2015
Photography in all it’s Glory photobook workshop by Katja Stuke & Oliver Sieber, Tokyo/JP
Mar 2014
Photobook Masterclass with Marcus Schaden & Frederic Lezmi, Ankara/TR
Feb 2013
Book Lab with Frederic Lezmi, Istanbul/TR