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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
    ‘Costume Art’, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
  2. ‘Where the Day Starts, 2nd Biennale of Contemporary Keramics’, curated by Anissa Touati, Stamatia Dimitrakopoulos, Loukia Thomopoulou, Rhodes, Greece
  3. ‘Pleasant Smell and Warm Fellowships: Scent in Islamic Ceramics’, Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Canada
  4. ‘Imprints on the Century’, curated by Didem Yazıcı, Yapı Kredi Kültür Sanat, İstanbul, Türkiye
  5. ‘ Upon a Rock, I Grew ’, Galerist, İstanbul, Türkiye
  6. 2025
    ‘Ferahfeza’, OMM, Eskişehir, Türkiye
  7. ‘Material Witnesses’, curated by Tamara Chalabi, The Demos Center, Athens, Greece
  8. ‘The Volcano Lover’, curated by Anlam de Coster, Galerist, Istanbul, Türkiye
  9. ‘Anywhere But Here’, Candice Madey Gallery, New York, USA
  10. 2024
    ‘Through the Floods’, Collezione Maramotti, Reggio Emilia, Italy
  11. ‘Distilled From Scattered Blue’, curated by Károly Aliotti, Galerist, Istanbul, Türkiye
  12. ‘Being Mediterranean’, curated by Rahmouna Boutayeb, MO.CO. Montpellier Contemporain, Montpellier, France
  13. 2023
    ‘Dialogues: Modern Artists and the Ottoman Past’, Metropolitan Museum, New York, USA
  14. ‘Slip Tease’, Kasmin Gallery, New York, USA
  15. ‘Souvenirs of the Future’, curated by Ulya Soley, Pera Museum, Istanbul, Türkiye
  16. ‘Healing Ruins’, curated by Anlam de Coster, Zeyrek Çinili Hamam, Istanbul, Türkiye
  17. ‘People of the Otherworld: Ken Kiff in Dialogue’, curated by Kathy Battista, Albertz Benda, New York, USA
  18. ‘Time is a Child’, Galerist in collaboration with Perasma, Navy Base of Leros, Leros, Greece
  19. 2022
    ‘Grief and Pleasure’, Odunpazarı Modern Museum, Eskişehir, Türkiye
  20. ‘Another Round’, Galeri Nev, Kendi Collection, Istanbul, Türkiye
  21. ‘Oeuvre and Grace’, curated by Derya Yücel, Erimtan Museum, Ankara, Türkiye
  22. 2021
    ‘Intervention’, The Artisan Hotel, Istanbul, Türkiye
  23. 2020
    ‘Contemporary Ceramic Art from the Middle East’, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
  24. ‘The Age of Gold’, Galeri Nev, Ankara, Türkiye
  25. 2019
    ‘The Union’, curated by Haldun Dostoğlu, Odunpazarı Modern Museum, Eskişehir, Türkiye
  26. ‘Paper’, Pilevneli Gallery, Istanbul, Türkiye
  27. 2018
    ‘Still Life with a Curtain’, curated by Deniz Artun, Galerist, Istanbul, Türkiye
  28. ‘First Round’, Galata Greek School, Istanbul, Türkiye
  29. 2017
    ‘12x12, 2017’, Black Ball Projects, New York, USA
  30. ‘Paisley’, BFA Visual & Critical Studies, Flatiron Project Space, New York, USA
  31. 2015
    ‘Hybridization’, Amir Mohtashemi Gallery, London, UK
  32. 2014
    ‘Closest Distance’, Galerist, Istanbul, Türkiye
  33. ‘There is a Madness in My Mind’, Cer Modern, Ankara, Türkiye
  34. 2012
    ‘Encounter: The Royal Academy in the Middle East’, Doha, Qatar
  35. ‘Le Jardin de la Spéculation Cosmique’, curated by Fatoş Üstek, Galerist, Istanbul, Türkiye
  36. ‘9th Shanghai Biennale’, Istanbul Pavillion, Shanghai, China
  37. ‘Encounters: Turkish Contemporary Art in Korea’, ARA Art Square, Seoul, South Korea
  38. ‘Campaign’, curated by Amy–Smith Stewart, C24 Gallery, New York, USA
  39. 2010
    ‘Blind Dates: New Encounters from the Edges of a Former Empire’, Pratt Manhattan Gallery, New York, USA
  40. ‘Five Year Anniversary Show’, Gavlak Gallery, Palm Beach, USA
  41. ‘Istanbul Cool!’, LTMH Gallery, New York, USA
  42. 2009
    ‘A Survey of Turkish Contemporary Art’, Cuadro Fine Art Gallery, Dubai, UAE
  43. ‘Octet’, Visual Arts Gallery, New York, USA
  44. ‘Pink Panther’, Kumukumu Gallery, New York, USA
  45. ‘Octet’, curated by Suzanne Anker and Peter Hristoff, Pera Museum, Istanbul, Türkiye
  46. 2008
    ‘Fresh’, C.A.M Galeri, Istanbul, Türkiye
  47. ‘Another Peep Show’, Smith-Stewart, New York, USA
  48. 2007
    ‘Dream of Today’, Steve Turner Contemporary, Los Angeles, USA
  49. ‘Foam of the Daze’, Smith-Stewart, New York, USA
  50. ‘Omnia Vanitas’, Gavlak, West Palm Beach, USA
  51. ‘Sobe!’, curated by Leyla Gediz, Bilsar, Istanbul, Türkiye
  52. ‘Special Reserve’, Gavlak, West Palm Beach, USA
  53. 2006
    ‘View (Eleven): Upstate’, Mary Boone Gallery, New York, USA
  54. ‘Flaming June’, Spanierman Modern, New York, USA
  55. ‘Works on Paper’, Galerist, Istanbul, Türkiye
  56. ‘WPA/C 2006 Art Auction’, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., USA
  57. 2005
    ‘Greater New York’, P.S.1/MOMA Contemporary Art Center, New York, USA
  58. ‘The ArtReview 25: Emerging US Artists’, Phillips de Pury & Company East Gallery, New York, USA
  59. ‘Absolute Summer Show’, Kirkhoff, Copenhagen, Denmark
  60. 2004
    ‘Eye of the Needle’, Roberts & Tilton Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
  61. ‘Low Life’, Kustera Tilton Gallery, New York, USA
  62. ‘Summer Show: Seven Big Paintings’, Kenny Schachter ConTEMPorary, New York, USA
  63. 2003
    ‘Peter Coffin with Brett Milspaw, Jan Mancuska, Ara Peterson, Elif Uras, Andrew Kreps’, Gallery, New York, USA
  64. ‘Organized Conflict’, Proje4L, Istanbul Museum of Contemporary Art, Istanbul, Türkiye
  65. ‘Regarding Amy’, Greene Naftali Gallery, New York, USA
  66. ‘MFA Thesis Exhibition’, Columbia University, Studebaker Building, New York, USA
  67. 2002
    ‘The Kids are Alright’, ATM Gallery, New York, USA
  68. ‘Returning MFA Show’, LeRoy Neiman Gallery, New York, USA
  69. ‘Columbia University First-Year MFA Exhibition’, Wallach Gallery, New York, USA
  70. ‘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