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In her works, Elif Uras explores ideas of gender and class related to representation of women across different geographies and time.

Elif Uras (b. Ankara) attended Brown University and Columbia Law School before receiving a BFA from School of Visual Arts and and MFA from Columbia School of the Arts. Her practice spans ceramics, drawing and painting.

She frequently employs labor intensive intricate patterns on her surfaces inspired by diverse art historic sources including Prehistoric art, antiquity, Islamic geometry, Iznik tiles and Western modernism. Her work also engages with questions of tradition, ornament and labor, especially feminized labor.

Often working on location in Iznik (Nicaea), where the most renowned tiles and ceramics of the Ottoman Empire were produced centuries ago, Uras produces works in ceramic that incorporate the non-figurative visual vocabulary of Iznik with the female body. Subverting tradition the intricate geometric and naturalistic patterns are employed to paint and draw on vessels whose forms allude to the ideas of femininity in a rapidly modernizing yet traditional society. Her works have also been exhibited at Metropolitan Museum, MoMA PS1, Salon 94, New York, 9th Shanghai Biennale and Pera Museum. Uras’s works are included in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Victoria and Albert Museum. Uras was an Artist-in-Residence at the Museum of Arts and Design, New York in 2020–2021.

Elif Uras lives and works between New York, Istanbul and Iznik.

Photo credit: Berk Kır

Education

  1. 2003
    MFA, Columbia University School of the Arts, New York, USA
  2. 2001
    BFA, School of Visual Arts, New York, USA
  3. 1997
    JD, Columbia University Law School, New York, USA
  4. 1994
    BA, Brown University, USA
  5. 1990
    Robert College, Istanbul, Türkiye

Artist Residencies

  1. 2020
    Museum of Arts and Design, Artist Studios, New York, USA

Awards

  1. 2020
    NYSCA / NYFA Artist Fellow
  2. 2001
    The Rhodes Family Award

Solo Exhibitions

  1. 2025
    ‘Earth on Their Hands’, Galerist, İstanbul, Türkiye
  2. 2018
    ‘The Source’, Galerist, Istanbul, Türkiye
  3. 2017
    ‘Déjà Vu’, The Box, Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London, UK
  4. 2016
    ‘Hayal Meyal’, Galerist, Istanbul, Türkiye
  5. 2015
    ‘Nicaea’, The Aldrich Museum, Connecticut, USA
  6. 2009
    ‘Panaroma Arcade’, Galerist, Istanbul, Türkiye
  7. 2008
    ‘Drawing Disconnect’, Kirkhoff Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
  8. 2007
    ‘The Occidentalist’, Smith-Stewart, New York, USA
  9. 2006
    ‘Industry’, Gavlak, West Palm Beach, USA
  10. 2005
    ‘Redland’, Mario Diacono Gallery, Boston, USA
  11. 2004
    ‘What You Want’, Galerist, Istanbul, Türkiye
  12. ‘Private Collection’, Kenny Schachter / ROVE, New York, USA

Group Exhibitions

  1. 2026
    ‘Pleasant Smell and Warm Fellowships: Scent in Islamic Ceramics’, Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Canada
  2. ‘Imprints on the Century’, curated by Didem Yazıcı, Yapı Kredi Kültür Sanat, İstanbul, Türkiye
  3. ‘ Upon a Rock, I Grew ’, Galerist, İstanbul, Türkiye
  4. 2025
    ‘Ferahfeza’, OMM, Eskişehir, Türkiye
  5. ‘Material Witnesses’, curated by Tamara Chalabi, The Demos Center, Athens, Greece
  6. ‘The Volcano Lover’, curated by Anlam de Coster, Galerist, Istanbul, Türkiye
  7. ‘Anywhere But Here’, Candice Madey Gallery, New York, USA
  8. 2024
    ‘Through the Floods’, Collezione Maramotti, Reggio Emilia, Italy
  9. ‘Distilled From Scattered Blue’, curated by Károly Aliotti, Galerist, Istanbul, Türkiye
  10. ‘Being Mediterranean’, curated by Rahmouna Boutayeb, MO.CO. Montpellier Contemporain, Montpellier, France
  11. 2023
    ‘Dialogues: Modern Artists and the Ottoman Past’, Metropolitan Museum, New York, USA
  12. ‘Slip Tease’, Kasmin Gallery, New York, USA
  13. ‘Souvenirs of the Future’, curated by Ulya Soley, Pera Museum, Istanbul, Türkiye
  14. ‘Healing Ruins’, curated by Anlam de Coster, Zeyrek Çinili Hamam, Istanbul, Türkiye
  15. ‘People of the Otherworld: Ken Kiff in Dialogue’, curated by Kathy Battista, Albertz Benda, New York, USA
  16. ‘Time is a Child’, Galerist in collaboration with Perasma, Navy Base of Leros, Leros, Greece
  17. 2022
    ‘Grief and Pleasure’, Odunpazarı Modern Museum, Eskişehir, Türkiye
  18. ‘Another Round’, Galeri Nev, Kendi Collection, Istanbul, Türkiye
  19. ‘Oeuvre and Grace’, curated by Derya Yücel, Erimtan Museum, Ankara, Türkiye
  20. 2021
    ‘Intervention’, The Artisan Hotel, Istanbul, Türkiye
  21. 2020
    ‘Contemporary Ceramic Art from the Middle East’, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
  22. ‘The Age of Gold’, Galeri Nev, Ankara, Türkiye
  23. 2019
    ‘The Union’, curated by Haldun Dostoğlu, Odunpazarı Modern Museum, Eskişehir, Türkiye
  24. ‘Paper’, Pilevneli Gallery, Istanbul, Türkiye
  25. 2018
    ‘Still Life with a Curtain’, curated by Deniz Artun, Galerist, Istanbul, Türkiye
  26. ‘First Round’, Galata Greek School, Istanbul, Türkiye
  27. 2017
    ‘12x12, 2017’, Black Ball Projects, New York, USA
  28. ‘Paisley’, BFA Visual & Critical Studies, Flatiron Project Space, New York, USA
  29. 2015
    ‘Hybridization’, Amir Mohtashemi Gallery, London, UK
  30. 2014
    ‘Closest Distance’, Galerist, Istanbul, Türkiye
  31. ‘There is a Madness in My Mind’, Cer Modern, Ankara, Türkiye
  32. 2012
    ‘Encounter: The Royal Academy in the Middle East’, Doha, Qatar
  33. ‘Le Jardin de la Spéculation Cosmique’, curated by Fatoş Üstek, Galerist, Istanbul, Türkiye
  34. ‘9th Shanghai Biennale’, Istanbul Pavillion, Shanghai, China
  35. ‘Encounters: Turkish Contemporary Art in Korea’, ARA Art Square, Seoul, South Korea
  36. ‘Campaign’, curated by Amy–Smith Stewart, C24 Gallery, New York, USA
  37. 2010
    ‘Blind Dates: New Encounters from the Edges of a Former Empire’, Pratt Manhattan Gallery, New York, USA
  38. ‘Five Year Anniversary Show’, Gavlak Gallery, Palm Beach, USA
  39. ‘Istanbul Cool!’, LTMH Gallery, New York, USA
  40. 2009
    ‘A Survey of Turkish Contemporary Art’, Cuadro Fine Art Gallery, Dubai, UAE
  41. ‘Octet’, Visual Arts Gallery, New York, USA
  42. ‘Pink Panther’, Kumukumu Gallery, New York, USA
  43. ‘Octet’, curated by Suzanne Anker and Peter Hristoff, Pera Museum, Istanbul, Türkiye
  44. 2008
    ‘Fresh’, C.A.M Galeri, Istanbul, Türkiye
  45. ‘Another Peep Show’, Smith-Stewart, New York, USA
  46. 2007
    ‘Dream of Today’, Steve Turner Contemporary, Los Angeles, USA
  47. ‘Foam of the Daze’, Smith-Stewart, New York, USA
  48. ‘Omnia Vanitas’, Gavlak, West Palm Beach, USA
  49. ‘Sobe!’, curated by Leyla Gediz, Bilsar, Istanbul, Türkiye
  50. ‘Special Reserve’, Gavlak, West Palm Beach, USA
  51. 2006
    ‘View (Eleven): Upstate’, Mary Boone Gallery, New York, USA
  52. ‘Flaming June’, Spanierman Modern, New York, USA
  53. ‘Works on Paper’, Galerist, Istanbul, Türkiye
  54. ‘WPA/C 2006 Art Auction’, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., USA
  55. 2005
    ‘Greater New York’, P.S.1/MOMA Contemporary Art Center, New York, USA
  56. ‘The ArtReview 25: Emerging US Artists’, Phillips de Pury & Company East Gallery, New York, USA
  57. ‘Absolute Summer Show’, Kirkhoff, Copenhagen, Denmark
  58. 2004
    ‘Eye of the Needle’, Roberts & Tilton Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
  59. ‘Low Life’, Kustera Tilton Gallery, New York, USA
  60. ‘Summer Show: Seven Big Paintings’, Kenny Schachter ConTEMPorary, New York, USA
  61. 2003
    ‘Peter Coffin with Brett Milspaw, Jan Mancuska, Ara Peterson, Elif Uras, Andrew Kreps’, Gallery, New York, USA
  62. ‘Organized Conflict’, Proje4L, Istanbul Museum of Contemporary Art, Istanbul, Türkiye
  63. ‘Regarding Amy’, Greene Naftali Gallery, New York, USA
  64. ‘MFA Thesis Exhibition’, Columbia University, Studebaker Building, New York, USA
  65. 2002
    ‘The Kids are Alright’, ATM Gallery, New York, USA
  66. ‘Returning MFA Show’, LeRoy Neiman Gallery, New York, USA
  67. ‘Columbia University First-Year MFA Exhibition’, Wallach Gallery, New York, USA
  68. ‘Mondo Cane’, LeRoy Neiman Gallery, Columbia University, New York, USA

Publications

  1. 2018
    Elif Uras, edited by Leyla İpek Ulusoy Akgül, texts by Ahu Antmen, Kathy Battista, Amy Smith-Stewart, Leyla İpek Ulusoy Akgül, and Merve Ünsal, Galerist Publications