Kutay Tufekci
Coming from a graphic design background, Kutay Tufekci’s painting process closely mirrors the use of Photoshop, a digital software for image creation. Thinking in layers and always contemplating the next move, each layer is treated individually as a stack of information. Tools such as chip brushes, multiple airbrushes, permanent markers, masking tape, and an orbital sander are used to create rough, distressed surfaces. Layers of paint accumulate, forming textures that reveal the pentimento of the painting process. He is interested in the illusion created by the removal of stencils, which can be viewed as surface trauma. Acts of removal, excavation, and scratching are explored as forms of surface trauma, integral to his painting practice. Tromp l’oeil also plays a central role in the compositions. Using airbrush and painter’s tape, Tufekci creates convincing illusions of rips and tears that suggest images pulled apart, partially removed, or aggressively re-layered. Alongside the hand-rendered decals, the surfaces evoke walls repeatedly wheat-pasted with notices and posters. These torn forms sometimes resemble Arabic lettering, though just as often they function through visual pareidolia. As a compositional device, the rips organize content in a non-linear way, allowing the paintings to unfold like fragmented graphic novels.
Feyzi Kutay Tufekci (b. 2000, Istanbul, Turkiye) lives and works in New York. He received his BFA degree from the School of Art Institute of Chicago (2023) and is currently pursuing his MFA degree at School of Visual Arts expecting to graduate in 2025. He’s also been in SVA Summer Residency with Turkish American Society scholarship in 2022. Selected group exhibitions include Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York, NY; Artzone Project, Istanbul, Turkiye; Kaio Space, Honolulu, HI; Kiki and Bouba Gallery, Chicago, IL
