Berka Beste Kopuz
Berka Beste Kopuz was born in Istanbul on October 22, 1995. She completed her undergraduate education in 2017 at Marmara University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Painting. Kopuz's artistic practice is built on a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on urban history, the memory of place, and archival research to examine the multi-layered network of relationships formed with a specific location. Her research processes are often shaped by urban fabric and archival documents, focusing on the memory of place, how the past relates to the present, and the indelible traces of the city. The artist aims to make these traces visible by questioning how the old re-establishes itself with the new. She positions herself as a "tracer" in her work. The viewer's experience plays an important role in Kopuz's practice. Constructing her works in a site-specific and interactive manner, the artist believes that the viewer is a complementary part of the works; this approach becomes visible through traces, voids, associations, and movement in her installation works. The artist's works have been exhibited on various national and international platforms such as Mamut Art Project (2017), BASE (2017), CAPTCHA Design Festival, Mixer, Anne Laudel, and Art On Gallery. She has participated in artist residency programs both in Turkey and abroad. In November 2019, she opened her first solo exhibition, "Kazıklıköy," at Versus Art Project. In 2020, she joined the Istanbul Academy of Architecture and Urban Studies, and in 2022, the Istanbul Biennial Working and Research Program. Her duo exhibition "Batarken Güneş Ardından Tepelerin" opened at Kasa Gallery in 2024. In November 2023, she opened her second solo exhibition, "Toprak Biriktirir Geçmişi I," at Haliç Fener Evleri I, and in November 2024, her third solo exhibition, "Toprak Biriktirir Geçmişi II," at Merdiven Art Space. She has been accepted into the artist residency program at HANGAR Artistic Research Center in Lisbon, Portugal, for the entirety of November 2025. In this context, the artist has received funding from the IKSV International Circulation Support Program and sponsorship from Hitay Holding. Berka Beste Kopuz continues her work at her studio in Istanbul.
