THE FIRST TURKISH FEMALE ARTIST TO CARRY THE TRACES OF MEMORY ON LEATHER: BİLGE YILDIZ IN LONDON

Combining 13 years of professional experience in design and leather, which began in Istanbul, with approximately seven years of tattoo practice, Bilge Yıldız brings the tattoo technique traditionally applied to the human body onto natural animal hides, placing the concepts of memory, identity, mythology and transformation at the centre of her art. Describing herself as the first Turkish female artist to place the tattoo-on-leather technique at the centre of contemporary art practice, Yıldız is meeting art lovers with her works at the international “Now & Beyond” exhibition in London, where 34 artists have come together.

LONDON HOSTS AN INTERNATIONAL ART GATHERING

LONDON — Espacio Gallery in East London is hosting the “Now & Beyond” exhibition from 14–17 August 2026, bringing together different disciplines of international contemporary art. Organised by Nidra Art Project and curated by Mohsen Muhammad Zadeh, the exhibition features works by 34 artists from different countries. The exhibition is being held at Espacio Gallery, located at 159 Bethnal Green Road, London E2 7DG.

The exhibition, which opened its doors on Friday, 14 August, will continue to welcome art lovers until Monday, 17 August. “Now & Beyond” explores the relationship between the present and the future through different artistic practices, focusing on the concepts of memory, transformation and possibility.

The opening brought together art lovers as well as academics, members of the press and invited guests from artistic circles. Turan Oğuzhan Gönültaş, Deputy Consul General of the Republic of Türkiye in London, also attended the event.

The participating artists include Aliyenur Yamaner, Ari Alpert, Aslı Saral, Bilge Yıldız, Burcu Bahçeci, Danila Çapar, Derya Bardakcı, Dilovan Çakmak, Didem Yüksekdağ, Emrah Samantı, Esin Tansu Oruç, Esma Aydın, Esma Kudar, Gamze Kartal, Gizem Yavuz, Gulustan Arslan, Gunes Kaplan, Hatice Gür, Leda Ağacanoğlu, Mercan Gözenman, Mohsen Mohammadzadeh, MSK, Pervin Akalın Akgül, Raya Khaksar, Ruhan Akbaba, Salime Aslan, Saliha Meryem Dilsiz, Sally Qormosh, Tariell Barsamian, Teberik Kölgelı, Uğur Can Gedik, Yaser Alchissepy, Zeynep Yarbaşı and Zülay Parla Arabacı, with İbrahim Sırdaş Yıldız serving as the art consultant.

At this international gathering, Bilge Yıldız’s works stand out in terms of both the materials she uses and the technique she has developed. The artist transfers the tattoo technique used on the human body onto natural animal hides, transforming leather from merely a material into a carrier of memory and meaning.

TATTOO ON LEATHER: A TECHNIQUE THAT EXTENDS FROM NEEDLE TO ART

At the centre of Bilge Yıldız’s work is the technique known as “tattoo on leather”.

The artist takes the tattoo machine out of its traditional field of use — the human body — and uses it on natural animal hides. Lines, figures and symbols applied to lamb and cattle hides merge with the leather’s own texture, pores and natural traces.

For Yıldız, leather is not a passive surface onto which an image is simply transferred.

The material itself becomes part of the narrative of the artwork.

Leather ages, changes and carries its own traces. When combined with the permanent lines of tattooing, the artist’s intervention and the natural character of the material meet within the same work.

In some of her works, Yıldız combines the tattoo technique with acrylic, pigments and different surface interventions, creating an interdisciplinary field between leather craftsmanship, tattooing, painting and design.

She is described as the first Turkish female artist to place the tattoo-on-leather technique at the centre of contemporary art practice. Yıldız continues her work as one of the pioneering names in this field.

“BECOMING LEAVES A TRACE”

At the conceptual centre of Yıldız’s practice is the notion of “trace”.

According to the artist, just like the leather she works on, human beings are shaped by what they experience. Family, society, culture, trauma, expectations and personal experiences leave visible or invisible traces on people.

This idea finds expression in the artist’s phrase, “Becoming leaves a trace.”

The tattoo represents the permanent trace, the leather represents time, and the symbols represent memory.

In this way, the works move beyond being merely visual compositions and become an intellectual narrative about human identity and transformation.

FROM ŞAHMERAN TO MEDUSA: SYMBOLS OF MEMORY

Bilge Yıldız’s works draw upon a broad range of references extending from the mythological narratives of Anatolian and Mesopotamian cultures to fairy tales and psychology.

However, rather than retelling these stories, the artist uses them to make visible the questions of contemporary human existence.

In her work “Magna Mater – Şahmeran”, the figure of Şahmeran is used to question the ancient Great Mother archetype, knowledge, birth and human origins.

“Echoes of Medusa”, meanwhile, reconsiders Medusa not merely as a mythological figure, but through the concepts of gaze, power, femininity, victimhood and transformation.

While “Sleeping Beauty” questions the idea of waiting and being rescued imposed upon women in childhood fairy tales, “Scholar’s Mate” examines the relationship between free will and predetermined social and psychological patterns.

“Black Mirror” explores the distance between the identity expected of an individual by society and their authentic self, while “Oedipus Nightmare” addresses the traces left by childhood relationships and unconscious patterns on adult identity.

BEGINNING WITH DESIGN IN ISTANBUL

FROM THE FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION IN MARDIN TO LONDON

One of the important stages in Yıldız’s artistic production was her first solo exhibition, “Duality and Life Path”, held at the historic Zinciriye Madrasa in Mardin from 16 May to 16 June 2026.

Consisting of ten works, the exhibition presented a comprehensive account of the narrative the artist developed around identity, memory, mythology and the journey of life.

While Mardin remains an important exhibition stop in Yıldız’s artistic journey, the foundation of her artistic practice lies in the design and leather experience she gained in Istanbul.

“Now & Beyond” in London represents the stage at which this body of work meets new audiences within an international contemporary art environment featuring artists from different countries.

THE STORY BEHIND THE LONDON SELECTION

Rather than presenting her solo exhibition in Mardin in its entirety in London, Yıldız created a more concentrated narrative through a selection of works from the “Duality and Life Path” series.

This selection reflects the artist’s exploration of the human encounter with the family, society, myths, traumas and expectations that shape an individual, and the search for one’s own existence after moving through all these layers.

Each work points to another stage of this long story.

The figures inscribed onto the leather do not merely tell this story; they make it permanent on the material itself.

ART, DIPLOMACY AND THE PRESS AT THE SAME GATHERING

The exhibition in London brought together art lovers, academics and members of the press, as well as artists from different countries.

Turan Oğuzhan Gönültaş, Deputy Consul of the Republic of Türkiye in London, also attended the event.

The exhibition therefore goes beyond being an event that simply brings artists and their works together; it becomes an international gathering where representatives of the arts, academia, the press and diplomacy meet within the same cultural and artistic environment.

WHO IS BİLGE YILDIZ?

Bilge Yıldız is a multidisciplinary artist who graduated from the Industrial Product Design Department of Istanbul Technical University.

Specialising in leather shoe, bag and accessory design, Yıldız worked professionally in the design industry for approximately 13 years. She has been practising tattooing for approximately seven years.

Combining her experience in design, leather and tattooing within a single artistic practice, the artist creates works centred on identity, memory, transformation, mythology, psychology, history and collective memory.

In 2025, Yıldız left her corporate career and devoted herself entirely to artistic production. Her first comprehensive solo exhibition was held in Mardin.

Today, she continues to develop the tattoo-on-leather technique within the field of contemporary art and pursue her work in the international art environment.

In her works, the line left by the needle does not merely create an image.

Leather carries memory; the trace records time; and art makes visible the story of human transformation.

Social Media Contact:

📷 Art account: @bilgeyildiz.art
📷 Elyos Leather: @elyos_leather