Mertim Gokalp (born 1981) is a Turkish-born Australian portrait and figure painter. He was a finalist for the

Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, J. F. Archib ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

with his portrait of Bille Brown, and he was a finalist in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize in 2015 with his painting "The Sacrifice of the Model".

Life and work

Gokalp was born in

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. He moved to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in 2009 and is now part of an artist run initiative Project 504, working from his studio in North Sydney. Mertim Gokalp has received a Distinguished Talent Visa from the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...

, allowing him to live and work in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Education

Gokalp holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University,

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Past exhibitions

Mertim Gokalp has exhibited in major art prizes and galleries in Australia. Most recently, he won the Hunters Hill Art Prize 2018 with his portrait of celebrity chef Manu Feildel - "Bon Appetit". He also won the Kennedy Prize in 2017 with another portrait of Manu Feildel, and he has been selected into the Salon des Refuses and exhibited in the

S. H. Ervin Gallery The S.H. Ervin Gallery is a major public art institution housed in the historic National Trust Centre in Observatory Park, Sydney.Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of hi ...

's Entombment of the Christ, has been selected into the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize 2015 and has been exhibited in the Juniper Hall in Paddington. In 2014, Gokalp had exhibited in the Contemporary Istanbul and had a solo show "The Descendants", in the Rocks Discovery Museum. Mertim’s self-portrait "I am a bit mad, but that is ok!", which was a semi-finalist in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize 2013, has been selected amongst many Australian portrait artists to be exhibited at the Australian Embassy in Washington DC, U.S.A. In May 2014, two of Gokalp's paintings, "Mama keeps me warm" and "Bille Brown in a Turkish Bath", were selected to be exhibited by Angus Trumble in the Glencore Percival Portrait Prize. This is the artist’s first time exhibiting his works in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. In March 2013, Gokalp’s portrait of the late Bille Brown, an Australian stage, film, television actor, and playwright, was announced as one of the finalists in the

. It was also exhibited in the NSW Parliament House in July 2013 as a part of the "Multicultural Australia" exhibition.

References

External links

Mertim Gokalp's web site

Archibald Prize 2013

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gokalp, Mertim Australian painters Australian people of Turkish descent Living people 1981 births