Gamze Öztürk ~ Keywords: Anatolian witchcraft, folklore, oral histories, mythological creatures, performance, non-verbal (silent) language, hair, textiles, Oya

Gamze Öztürk (Turkey, 1987) is a Turkish performance artist currently based in the Netherlands, mainly focusing on live art, installations, textiles and lens-based media (film, photography, etc.) She visualizes the silent languages of women in restricted social structures and patriarchal societies. She unravels the narratives the male gaze has imposed upon Anatolian women's histories. By investigating symbols and motifs in body politics, native rituals and narratives, she explores hidden poetic language in handicrafts such as rugs, carpets, and embroideries. Through long-duration performance and installation, she evokes these ancient rituals that have been preserved for hundreds of years. Hair is a cornerstone in her work, referencing the connection between women and ancestral memory. Hairs from herself, family and friends are used as material in her sculptures, installations and performances. More recently, she has been investigating the symbolism of Oya embroideries across Anatolia, which have functioned as a means of communication for women silenced in the public sphere.

Gamze Öztürk holds a BA in Art Management from the Yıldız Technical University in Turkey (2016) and an MA in Art Praxis from the Dutch Art Institute, ArtEZ University of the Arts (2024). Currently, she is a co-curator of OPA - Open Performance Academy in Rotterdam since 2024. She worked on performative staging in the acting school ‘Studio Oyuncuları’, led by Sahika Tekand, (2019). She was awarded several residencies; Co-Creation Live Factory: Dissenting Bodies Marking Time, Venice International Performance Art Week (2020), and DOOResidency in Amsterdam (2021). Her works were exhibited in several museums including Huis Marseille Museum for Photography in Amsterdam (2023), Muzeum Mazowieckie in Płock (2023) and the European Culture Centre Palazzo Mora in Venice (2020).

Learn more about Gamze Öztürk's 20 minute performance A dream I had several decades afterwards of vivid reds and warm heads for Chameleon Orbit ~  DAI's Aeroponic Acts 2024 at Centrale Fies in Italy. 

Learn more about Gamze Öztürk's written MA thesis (DAI, 2024): coming soon