Hello Berna, could you first tell our readers a little about yourself?

Hello. I was born in 1998 in Çorlu, Tekirdağ. I completed my primary, middle, and high school education in Tekirdağ.

In 2020, I graduated from the Painting and Art Education Department of Anadolu University's Faculty of Fine Arts.

I won exhibition rights and awards in many competitions and participated in numerous group exhibitions. I took part in the TÜYAP 29th Istanbul Art Fair in 2019 and the ArtAnkara Contemporary Art Fair in 2020.

I continue my work in my own studio in Tekirdağ.

Despite your young age, a deep spirituality is observed in your works. You are on a consistent path that also embraces change. Can we say that you went through an intense period of experimentation, exploration, and creation to achieve this maturity?

I recently graduated from university and am currently in the process of gaining more experience. Change and development are part of our nature. What I gain from nature's inspiration gradually transforms into the trace of my brush.

Blending the enthusiasm within me with paint and communicating with the canvas makes me who I am. In my artistic journey, which will continue throughout my life, I have very valuable mentors whose support and help have added value to me.

I had three teachers who touched my life and left a mark on me. The first was my beloved art teacher whom I met in primary school. She introduced me to art by telling me to “Become an art teacher” since primary school and taught me to dream in this field.

The second was my dear studio instructor in high school. I graduated from an Anatolian high school, but art was always on my mind since primary school. I knew I needed to take lessons to progress in this field.

I had the opportunity to take lessons in her studio for a year and a half. I learned many things from her. Most importantly, she told me to “Keep drawing.”

My third teacher was my dear studio instructor, with whom I took classes for four years at university. She made us work very hard; she taught us to be disciplined in this field and never to stop experimenting.

The most important values I learned and that left a mark on me were: never giving up, constantly researching, experimenting, and fearlessly continuing to create.

Looking at your works, we see that the subjects you address and your personality are not limited to the composition and the story on the surface, but are also supported by the colors and brush you use. Could you explain the language and reason behind the colors in your almost monochromatic paintings?

I believe that presenting the delicacy of nature through the language of colors is one of the most important methods.

I love to soften the contrast in man-made elements that I observe in the environment where I draw my inspiration and live, using the tones I employ.

My canvas, which I surround with textures, lines, and elements, forms my style. I take great pleasure in using the graying tones of colors on my palette.

I do not have a very dynamic and fluctuating personality. This aspect of my character greatly influences my color choices. The colors that emerge on my palette integrate with my own life, in a sense.

I can describe the subjects you address as a “just rebellion.” If I were to ask you to explain these ideas, which you convey through colors, images, and your brush, in your own words...

Nature is the greatest legacy left to us. I respond to humanity's failure to treat nature with the same care, despite nature embracing all living things, through my works.

While humanity builds hundreds of factories and carelessly discards its waste, it throws even the simplest trash onto nature's colors.

Against these actions, I convey nature's eternal sense of life to viewers from my own perspective, using more elegant and softer colors.

Tekirdağ is one of Turkey's most industrially developed cities. There are around four thousand factories in the city. Growing up in such an environment has a great impact on how I express my art and my reaction.

As a young artist, is there a name from art history that you take as an example? What is the reason this name inspires you?

I can say that observation is one of the fundamental elements of my art. In this context, Monet is one of the artists who made me who I am.

Especially his “Haystacks” are the works that led me to discover Monet. Through his perspective on colors and brushstrokes, I also find myself.

I love to reflect the calm and peaceful images within my soul. When seeking inspiration, I encounter my subconscious's search for peace.

Due to this search, Giorgio Morandi's calmness and serenity also helped me find myself.

From your current position, how do you evaluate the art market in Turkey? What are your thoughts, especially regarding young artists gaining visibility and finding their place?

I believe there are problematic aspects for young artists in the art market. I feel this especially as an emerging artist.

The desire to confine artists to molds is a restrictive and hindering situation in art. Innovation and the state of being on a journey are overlooked in the market.

One of the most motivating factors for a young artist is receiving support. Providing an environment for experience exchange and guidance is an important need.

This has a great impact on the development of artists and the art environment. The support activities of established galleries are extremely important for young artists who are striving for development.

I believe that opportunities for solo exhibitions will have significant effects on an artist's self-confidence, future, and artistic understanding.

I want to ask this, especially since it is widely discussed in our country and in academies: As a newly graduated young artist, do you think art education, excluding technical instruction, provides sufficient awareness to enter the art market?

If I were to talk about my experiences, I realized that what I encountered during the process affected my perspective.

Academic learning only forms our foundation in terms of art education. Because four years is a very limited time.

Now I look back at the four years I left behind. Yes, I have a foundation, but there are many things I need to learn and experience, and many books I need to read.

It is very important for one to develop oneself. I feel this even more strongly as a young artist.

After graduation, we see that life turns out very differently from what we dreamed of in university. In this process, the importance of being patient is immense.

What are your future goals and plans? Do you have any upcoming projects we can look forward to?

Development is a process and a determining factor that guides me for my future plans. Shaping my future with this factor has always been important when setting my plans.

Continuing my art production in my own studio and focusing on my development are among my primary goals.

Additionally, I want to engage in activities that will help me grow. With what I gain from my development, I aim to pursue a master's degree.

Furthermore, I am progressing towards my goal of holding a solo exhibition.

Finally, what does the concept of art mean to “Berna”?

Art is my communication, my expression. It is where I feel most at peace and where I want to make others feel at peace.

It is a world, and a part of my world. It is my transmission, my way of showing myself. In fact, it is precisely about finding myself.