Sedat Girgin

Born in Istanbul in 1985, Sedat Girgin graduated from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Department of Industrial Design. He has illustrated more than 80 books for many publishing houses. He has worked as a freelance illustrator for several magazines and digital agencies. In 2007, the book he illustrated titled “Ant’s Brother” (Karıncanın Kardeşi), in collaboration with author Suna Dölek, received the third prize at Tudem’s Book-Making Competition and it was translated into German. With his design “Hot Vespa” he received the first award at Art Vespa Competition. He has been making the cover illustrations of The Guide Istanbul since 2014. The book he illustrated titled “Sefa, The Lazy Fish” (Tembel Balık Sefa), in collaboration with author Tülin Kozikoğlu, has recently been selected for the 2015 White Ravens Catalogue by Internationale Jugendbibliothek. His distinctive children’s books illustrations have been exhibited at The Biennial of Illustration Bratislava [BIB].

 

Similar to a calm sea free from captivity, Sedat Girgin, who expresses himself as purely and powerfully as he can, interprets human behavior and emotional states in his works through his own eyes and in his own unique style. He places social classes, groups and individuals on a theater stage and puts them under the microscope as if mocking them. While the absurd and bizarre situations of modern man are critically addressed, the metamorphosis of the figures takes place both as change, development, self-perception and search for identity, and as a physical caricature and absurdity. Creating a world we are not used to in his works and rendering his characters in a unique, playful and at the same time slightly bitter reality, the artist describes his style as a bit sharp and bold, but sincere. Girgin is an artist who likes to play with forms and deforms the figures he draws as much as possible, believing that this expresses the emotion more directly.

 

He has participated in many national and international collaborative exhibitions, organized workshops, attended seminars and been invited to the selection committees. After his first solo exhibition “Circus of Wonders” in 2013; he opened his personal exhibitions “While Going Nuts” (2017), “Even More” (2019), “Overrated Land” (2020) and “This is Not Me” (2024) in Galeri 77. He currently lives and works in Istanbul.