Elif Saydam

Elif Saydam is a Turkish-Canadian artist, writer, and performer based in Berlin. Their art often explores themes related to social constructs, aesthetics, personal attachments, and the narratives behind objects and places.

Biography of Elif Saydam

Elif Saydam is a Canadian artist born in 1985. In 2009, they earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Distinction in Fibre Arts from Concordia University in Montréal, Canada. In 2016, Saydam became a Meisterschülerin in the class of Monika Baer and Amy Sillman at Städelschule Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Additionally, Saydam has actively participated in the Städelschule Pure Fiction Writing Seminar, showcasing their diverse creative talents across multiple disciplines.

Elif Saydam's artwork has been featured in various international group exhibitions. These include "Lose Enden" at Kunsthalle Bern, Switzerland in 2021, "Luxury and Glamour. The Wilfulness of the Superfluous" at Landes-Stiftung Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck in Bonn in 2020, and "Made in Balmoral" at Künstlerhaus Schloss Balmoral in Bad Ems, Germany in 2019. Their works were part of "Jahresgaben" at Kunstverein Nürnberg and "Croissant" at MMK Museum for Modern Art in Frankfurt am Main, both exhibitions in 2016.

Noteworthy solo exhibitions showcasing their work include "...schläft sich durch" held at Kunstverein Harburger Bahnhof in 2021, "Everybody's Fool" at Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle in Munich, "Gut feeling" at Tanya Leighton in Berlin, and "Selfing" at Melange in Cologne, all taking place in 2020. 

Currently, the artist resides and works in Berlin. 

Elif Saydam's art style

Through an expansive approach to painting, Elif Saydam explores the intricate connection between social categories and the construction of taste. By delving into the realm of decoration and the judgments and mechanisms it encompasses, their artistic practice prompts contemplation on the notions of valued labor, identification impulses, and social mobility. Saydam's profound and humorous approach to their work illuminates the interplay between aesthetic and social ambivalences, unveiling their transformative and boundary-pushing potential.

When Elif Saydam embarks on a new series of paintings or writings, their creative process often revolves around the multifaceted narratives associated with objects and places. Their paintings are meticulously adorned with recurring symbols, sequins, beads, and fragments of text, alongside embroidered and gilded elements. Saydam also incorporates 23-carat gold leaf into their canvases. The artist also employs the method of traditional oil painting and superimposes it with a collage technique.