Zeynep Yarbaşı Brings Traditional Filigree Art Together with Contemporary Art in London

Following İzmir and Bodrum, Zeynep Yarbaşı has taken her artistic journey to London, reinterpreting the filigree art she has been working on for more than 10 years through natural stones, oil painting, colours, symbols and contemporary compositions. Her works exhibited at the international exhibition in London demonstrate how a traditional handicraft can be brought to life once again through the language of contemporary art.

An International Art Gathering in London

Zeynep Yarbaşı took part with her works in the “Now & Beyond” International Contemporary Art Exhibition, held at Espacio Gallery in London from 14–17 August 2026. Organised by Nidra Art Project and curated by Mohsen Muhammad Zadeh, the exhibition brought together the works of 34 artists from different countries with art lovers.

Held at Espacio Gallery, 159 Bethnal Green Road, London E2 7DG, the opening of the exhibition brought together art lovers as well as guests from artistic and academic circles and members of the press. Deputy Consul General of the Republic of Türkiye in London, Turan Oğuzhan Gönültaş, also met with the artists and guests at the opening.

Bringing different artistic disciplines together on the same platform, the exhibition drew attention to Zeynep Yarbaşı’s works for approaching traditional Turkish filigree art through a contemporary narrative. The London exhibition marked an important stage in the artist’s journey of carrying her creative practice, which began in Türkiye, into the international art scene.

From Filigree to an Original Artistic Language

At the heart of Zeynep Yarbaşı’s artistic journey is filigree art. Having worked with filigree for more than 10 years, the artist has gradually sought to develop her own artistic language while preserving the traditional technique.

Bringing together the hard and geometric structure of filigree, created by threading wires between nails placed on a wooden surface, with colour, female figures, symbols, forms inspired by nature and different materials, Yarbaşı transforms a traditional handicraft into a contemporary form of expression.

Alongside female portraits, the artist’s works feature abstract forms, geometric compositions, spiral structures, the Tree of Life, lotus and symbolic figures such as the Phoenix. These elements demonstrate that Yarbaşı approaches filigree not merely as a visual aesthetic, but as an artistic language capable of conveying emotion, thought and stories.

Paint and Natural Stones Alongside Nails and Wire

One of the key features distinguishing Yarbaşı’s work from classical filigree is her ability to bring different artistic disciplines together within the same artwork.

The artist combines filigree with natural stones, oil painting, different surface-painting techniques, wires in different colours and three-dimensional surfaces. In this way, the traditional structure of nails and wire meets the colour and surface language of contemporary art.

Having also worked with natural stones for many years, Yarbaşı incorporates stones such as amethyst, citrine, crystal quartz, agate and obsidian into her works. However, she does not use the stones merely as decorative elements. She considers the colour, natural texture and symbolic meaning of each stone according to the theme of the work, making it an integral part of the composition.

This approach has enabled the artist to develop an original artistic language in which nails, wire, paint and natural stones come together on the same surface.

Female Faces and Strong Colours in the London Collection

Yarbaşı further expanded the traditional boundaries of filigree in the collection she prepared specifically for London.

Female faces, facial expressions, modern geometric forms, strong areas of colour and symbolic lines come together within the same compositions through the filigree technique. The works shaped around concepts such as “Silence,” “Fracture” and “Beyond” convey the artist’s reflections on the human inner world, change and transformation through a visual language.

For the artist, it is not enough for a work to simply look beautiful. It is important that the work evokes an emotion and thought in the viewer, while the colours and natural stones used also support this feeling.

Women, Transformation and Inner Journeys in Her Art

While women and female identity occupy an important place in Yarbaşı’s work, themes such as silence, inner journey, transformation, rebirth, spirit and energy, the connection between humanity and the universe, nature, time and the cycle of life also form the main axes of her artistic practice.

Bringing geometric order and the cycle of life together within the same composition, the artist places particular importance on maintaining the technical foundation of traditional filigree while establishing a connection with contemporary art.

For this reason, rather than defining her works simply as “filigree artworks,” Yarbaşı develops them as mixed-media works in which filigree is reinterpreted through different disciplines.

Where Art and Energy Meet

Another dimension of Zeynep Yarbaşı’s artistic approach is her interest in natural stones and her longstanding work in the field of energy.

Alongside her artistic practice, Yarbaşı has also been interested in natural stones, bioenergy, breathwork, life coaching and energy practices, and says that over time this experience has found its way into her artworks. Bringing her knowledge of natural stones into her art, the artist selects the stone she will use according to the colour, theme and emotion she wishes the composition to convey.

As a result, her works are intended not only to be viewed, but also to be felt.

From İzmir to Bodrum, and from Bodrum to London

İzmir Art Fair was one of the important stages in Zeynep Yarbaşı’s artistic journey. There, she presented works that differed from the classical approach to filigree and were enriched with natural stones and different materials to art lovers.

Following İzmir, Yarbaşı took her artistic journey to Bodrum, where she had the opportunity to exhibit her works with Nidra Art Project at Herodotus Cultural Centre.

During her Bodrum period, the artist moved away from classical figures and developed a more abstract and contemporary form of expression. Through spiral structures, colour transitions, circles and geometric forms, she developed a different interpretation of filigree.

Works such as “Öze Özgün Yolculuk” (A Journey to One’s Essence) that emerged during this period reflected the artist’s approach to the human being’s own essence, spirit and inner journey.

Passing Her Art on to New Generations

Alongside producing art, Yarbaşı also places importance on educational activities, conducting work in the fields of art and personal development at ZY Yaşam Atölyesi, based in Bursa.

In addition to filigree courses, the artist organises workshops in çini, wire embroidery, felt, canvas bags, oil painting and natural stone work, as well as art activities for children.

For Yarbaşı, who places great importance on passing the art of filigree on to new generations, art is not merely about producing an artwork; it is also a way for people to express themselves, create and transform.

At this point in her artistic journey from İzmir to Bodrum and then to London, Zeynep Yarbaşı positions herself not simply as an artist who creates filigree works, but as an artist who transforms filigree by bringing it together with different disciplines and reinterpreting it through the language of contemporary art.

The artist aims to bring her original works, combining natural stones, paint and contemporary art techniques with filigree, to wider audiences both in Türkiye and on international art platforms in the coming period.

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