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Gizem Candan (b. Istanbul, Turkey) is a visual artist and curator based in Montréal and
Toronto, with a focus on painting, interdisciplinary practices and climate change. She
recently graduated from OCAD University in Toronto with a MFA in Criticism and
Curatorial Practice, where her thesis explored tangible and metaphysical aspects of
composting and life inside compost piles while seeing it as a metaphor for
transformation of mind and body. She also studied her BFAs, one in Plastic Arts and
Painting and one in Graphic Design, at Yeditepe University in Istanbul. Her artistic and
curatorial practice delves into the tensions and interactions between humans and their
surroundings in the ecological crisis, envisioning a reimagined harmony based on her
own experiences. In her paintings, she employs a variety of approaches to emphasize
"figure" as both human and more-than-human, as well as the landscape-centred
scenes around it. "Structure" in her paintings is visible in two distinct ways:
composition and colour palette.
Candan has exhibited in Canada and Turkey at spaces such as Sivarulrasa Gallery,
Almonte; TD Gallery at Toronto Reference Library, Toronto; Elgiz Museum; Pera
Museum; Akbank Sanat, Istanbul; Arkas Art Center, Izmir; and Cermodern, Ankara.
Candan has also curated two-person and group exhibitions at Ignite Gallery and Xpace
Cultural Centre, Toronto.
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