About

Photo by Sarah Bodri

Gizem Candan (b. Istanbul, Turkey) is a visual artist and curator based in Montréal/Tiohtià:ke, Canada, with a focus on painting, interdisciplinary practices and ecology. She recently graduated from OCAD University in Toronto with an 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. 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.

Candan has exhibited internationally at spaces such as London Design Festival, London, UK; 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; Xpace Cultural Centre; and Onsite Gallery, Toronto.

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My work explores the intricate relationship between the human figure and landscape and reflects on the themes of anxiety, precious life, death, and rebirth using multidisciplinary approaches such as painting, foraged pigments, biomaterials, and video.

I capture the intersection of the tangible world and the inner emotional stage by reimagining the hidden stories of earthworms beneath our feet, allowing mountains and rocks to reveal their wisdom, and employing water and soil as a symbolism of renewal. By embracing the conflict between the beauty of nature and the repositioning of late-modern humans themselves in troubled times, I create a visual language through form and colour.

By foraging, cooking, burning and grinding, my work demonstrates the ephemeral beauty of earth and botanical colours. The methodology of my material-based research is to investigate organic waste streams in the city and create a landscape-focused language through invasive plants in the local environment to build a connection with the more-than-human world.

Thank you to the Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts for their generous support.