About
Deniz Kurdak is a London-based textile artist whose free-motion embroidery explores themes of memory, identity, and belonging. Inspired by personal narratives and objects from her past, Deniz’s work bridges traditional craft and contemporary art. By emphasising emotional repair and reconstruction, her textiles challenge outdated and dismissive perceptions of embroidery as mere women’s craft, highlighting its potential for storytelling and self-expression.
Her practice reflects the dualities of the human condition, such as fragility and resilience, belonging and alienation, truth and deception. Deniz aims to highlight these contradictions and tensions by bringing the fragility of porcelain together with the soft resilience of fabric and thread.
After receiving a BFA(Hons) degree in stage and costume design, Deniz worked as an academic staff member at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (Istanbul). She has also led workshops at other universities and institutions in Switzerland, Turkey, and the USA.
Her work has been recognized internationally, including as a finalist for the 2022 Women United Art Prize and Young Masters Art Prize 2025. In 2024, her textiles were showcased in the Royal Academy of Arts’ Summer Exhibition, and she has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Turkey, Beijing, and the UK.
Currently, Deniz is a resident artist in the Artists Make Space Programme, organized by the Borough of Richmond upon Thames and Orleans House Gallery.
Upcoming Exhibitions
26 Feb - 2 March 2025, Collect Art Fair, Somerset House, London
19 - 23 March 2025, Affordable Art Fair NYC, The Metropolitan Pavilion, New York
Recent Exhibitions
2025 ‘For the love of art history’ Young Masters invitational exhibition,The Exhibitionist Hotel, London
2024 Artweeks Istanbul, Ritz Carlton Residences, Istanbul
2024 Mastering the Line, Cube Gallery, London
2024 Matresens, Istanbul Tasarim Muzesi- Fam Hub, Istanbul
2024 Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London
2024 Summer Exhibition, The Gallery at Green&Stone, London
2024 Empower Her: Creativity, Courage, Magical Thinking, Casildart Contemporary, London
2024 Contemporary Art Textiles, Business Design Centre, London
2023 Winter Show, Orleans House Gallery, London
2023 Artworks Open, Artworks Project Space, London
2023 Art Sunday, PG Art Gallery, Istanbul
2023 We are the Witches, House of Smalls Gallery, Chipping Campden
2023 Home, Newark Works, Bath
2023 Scar, House of Smalls Gallery, Chipping Campden
2022 Winter Show, Orleans House Gallery, London