BIO
Renin Bilginer is a contemporary artist from London, with dual British and Turkish heritage. Bilginer graduated from BA Painting at University of Brighton in 2019, and MA Painting at Royal College of Art in 2023. In 2024, she presented her first solo show, ‘Night Parade of One Hundred Women’ at Galeri Bosfor, Istanbul. Bilginer has exhibited in group shows with a number of galleries, both in the UK and internationally, including; Saatchi Gallery, Soho Revue, Pictorum Gallery, Subtitle Labs x Omer Tiroche, Prior Art Space, Plain Gallery and Galeri Bosfor. She has previously been artist in residence at Art’otel and was invited on a year long residency project with the Canal and River Trust. Bilginer has also worked on commercial projects with Pandora x Artiq and Technogym in partnership with Sothebys and UNICEF. In 2022 she participated in the Martin Miller Gin x StART Art Prize. Her work exists in several private collections, most notably, Papko Art Collection, Istanbul.
STATEMENT
Bilginer's practice examines identity as a transient state within the context of her mixed British and Turkish heritage, with a focus on the intersection between Eastern and Western cultures. Rooted in the social and cultural anthropology of the feminine in: Folklore, mythology, ritual and pagan belief systems, her practice explores these narratives from a contemporary perspective. Dedicated to the celebration and empowerment of the feminine, the work addresses issues surrounding womanhood, non-conformity, belonging and the embodiment of multiple identities; the transformative power of masquerade is central to Bilginer’s exploration of identity, which is presented through the various stages of undress and redress of the feminine beings that dominate the work. Set within a fluid imaginary landscape, Bilginer’s constructed world transcends time and physical space, becoming devoid of rules and restrictions.
Bilginer’s visual style is heavily influenced by Eastern miniature painting, Japanese woodblock printing and Turkish textiles. The resulting works are presented as tapestry-paintings, wearable pieces and sculptural installations, which are sometimes explored within moving image and performance. Whilst the work sits between painting and textiles, she continues to experiment with materiality. Integral to the work is the method of hand dyeing fabrics, which has become a ritual in its own right. Bilginer incorporates a multi-media approach through the combination of: Fabric, dyes, pigment, oils, acrylic, pen and embroidery, connected through her dynamic and surreal use of colour and pattern.