SEÇIL EREL

Seçil Erel is a Turkish-British artist based in London, working between studios in London and Istanbul. Her practice explores the relationship between reality and what lies beyond it, creating works that invite viewers to dream, feel and reflect while engaging their own imaginative and creative responses.

Drawing on her experience of living between cultures, Erel brings Eastern and Western, ancient and contemporary references into dialogue. Istanbul, where she was born and developed her early artistic practice, remains an important point of departure, while her life and work in London have expanded her visual language and international perspective. Her work considers the meeting points between past and future, memory and imagination, and the experience of the present.

Erel graduated from the Painting Department at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, where she completed both her undergraduate and Master’s degrees. She is currently undertaking a second Master’s degree in Painting at the Royal College of Art, London, for the 2026–2027 academic year.

Over a career spanning more than two decades, Erel has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions and art fairs across Türkiye, Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States. Alongside her studio practice, she has lectured at universities, participated in international conferences, symposia and artist residencies, and published an artist book and exhibition monographs. Since relocating to London in 2017, she has developed an increasing presence within the UK art scene while maintaining strong connections with Istanbul and Türkiye. In 2021, she was shortlisted for the 253rd Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.

Erel is also interested in art as a form of shared knowledge and creative exchange. She established *Art Club*, a programme of artist-led sessions encouraging participants to reconnect with and develop their own creativity.

Erel’s work is represented in museum, corporate, family and private collections internationally. These include OMM – Odunpazarı Modern Museum, Türkiye Ziraat Bankası, Türkiye İş Bankası, Akbank Sanat, Özyeğin, Papko, Arkas, Demsa and the Sabancı Collection, as well as the Summart-Bora and Büyükkuşoğlu family collections.

Her works are also held in private collections across Türkiye, the United Kingdom, China, the United States, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Portugal and France.