Dr Isil Ezgi Celik, the founding director of capitArt, is renowned for their international contributions to academia and the creative industries. Their extensive experience covers prestigious global platforms, including the United Nations. Throughout their career, Isil has held significant roles in academia and the creative fields as an art curator, project manager, and art director, actively engaging in research, curating art exhibitions, and coordinating art events across multiple countries: France, Turkey, Belgium, India, Japan, Myanmar, and England.
Isil earned their PhD from Nagoya University in Japan, focusing on international cooperation in the arts for the social inclusion of marginalised voices. Their academic path also includes a master’s degree in visual communication design and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, art, and aesthetics from Galatasaray University in Istanbul and l’Université Paris 8 in Paris. In 2015, Isil founded capitArt in Tokyo, an initiative dedicated to advancing a collective approach to creative activity. After relocating to Mumbai, the initiative ultimately moved to London in 2021. Throughout these transitions, Isil has remained steadfast in their commitment to advocating for collaborative creative processes under the banner of capitArt.
In addition to their professional endeavours, Isil is a filmmaker and a practitioner in art and design with a particular focus on digital art, encompassing videography, graphic arts, and photography. They have also authored an experimental prose poetry book in Turkey under the pseudonym Esha Mathur. Furthermore, Isil actively participates as a member of the global ArtSect DAO and AWITA London, lending their insights and expertise to these prominent art communities.
Reflecting their interdisciplinary and multicultural background, Isil's work investigates the transformation of human creativity in conjunction with technology. They explore the addressing of existing and emerging forms of marginalisation within techno-capitalism and the creative potentials of collective intelligence for true social inclusion. Isil is deeply passionate about marginal art, also known as art brut or outsider art, and digital art, viewing these as representing opposite ends of the spectrum in the evolution of human creativity. They recognise the inherently political nature of artistic activity, offering new perspectives and creating new worlds. Isil sees contemporary art forms as languages capable of conveying intricate narratives that challenge perceptions of social phenomena. Consequently, their body of work is rich with philosophy and critical thought, influenced by science and the latest technological advancements, aiming to unveil the multifaceted aspects of marginalisation in the age of techno-capitalism as a locus of resistance.
Isil Ezgi Celik
Copyright © 2024 Isil Ezgi Celik - All Rights Reserved.
Powered by GoDaddy