E. Erna Ucar
My work explores human presence and the emotional states that define modern life. The Room Series reflects on the rhythms of contemporary existence—small apartments, shared routines, and the paradox of connection and loneliness in urban culture. Having lived in Cyprus, Turkey, Russia, Malaysia, and Luxembourg, I realized that despite cultural differences, people share remarkably similar daily patterns: the same morning coffee, the same offices, the same music and television. Beneath this familiarity lies a quiet solitude. Visually, my practice is rooted in texture and color. I combine raw canvas, graphite, acrylic, and sand to build layered surfaces where contrasts—bright and pastel, fluid and dense—find harmony. Figures emerge within these tactile environments, bold yet vulnerable, surrounded by spaces that suggest both intimacy and estrangement. My process is deliberate and prolonged, placing figures and compositions in ways that balance scale and depth, creating works that echo both painting and large-scale graphic posters. Influenced by Fauvist color and the clarity of graphic art, I treat vibrant tones not only as aesthetic elements but as amplifiers of emotion. Ultimately, my paintings are about people and the moods they inhabit—resilience, solitude, joy, and uncertainty. Through layered textures and vibrant surfaces, I aim to make visible the inner landscapes that connect us across cultures. Erna Ucar was born in Ankara in 1979. She graduated from the Graphic Design Department, Faculty of Fine Arts, Hacettepe University in 2001.
The Room No.140 / Acrylic, sand, graphite on canvas / 100x150cm / 2024
