Leyla Pekmen (b. Turkey) is a Turkish and British artist based in Istanbul. Pekmen’s talents and interest in the arts were clear from an early age: she spent many hours in her artist neighbour’s studio playing with and learning about paint. Whilst she went on to work in advertising, setting up her own agency in 2005, Pekmen came back to art in 2010 and has been painting and sculpting continually out of a local art studio since.
Last year Pekmen opened her first solo exhibition, “Kolekta meets Avlu,” at Avlu Gallery in Istanbul, and participated in a group show alongside other internationally recognised and respected female artists. This year, she has participated in many more group shows including “Goruyu Paylas/Share the View” at Galeri Beylikduzu, “Next” at Four You Gallery, as well as a recent exhibition at Marian Kramer Projects in Amsterdam. As a result of her extensive exposure in recent years, Pekmen’s artworks have been collected globally.
LEYLA PEKMEN
Lullaby
October 2022
Four You Gallery are pleased to present “Lullaby,” an exhibition of paintings by Turkish/British artist Leyla Pekmen. Currently based in Istanbul, Pekmen paints and sculpts at a local artists studio. This demonstration of artworks celebrates the medium of paint and exhibits the knowing and intimate relationship that Leyla Pekmen has developed with it over the many years that she’s been using it. This amounts to almost of all her life. Whilst admittedly her work “changes depending on my [her] emotions,” “Lullaby” is playful, sweet, and entirely joyful. One must revel in the sun-drenched artworks and return to a summer gone by. Much like the soothing refrain of a lullaby, this exhibition of paintings resonates like a gentle and warm embrace.
In 2021, Pekmen opened her first solo exhibition in Istanbul, and participated in a group show alongside other internationally recognised and respected female artists. As a result of her extensive exposure in recent years, Pekmen’s artworks have been collected globally and very well-received by the art world at large.
