Mehmet Dere was born in 1979 in İzmir. He graduated from Faculty of Fine Arts, Painting Department at Dokuz Eylül University. He completed his MA in the same faculty and now studying his PhD in Faculty of Arts and Design, Painting Department at Sakarya University. The language that the artist creates in his work exists in an area of many (sociological-psychological) layers that touch one another. The conceptual framework of Dere's early works exists in a political area and deals with the socio-political history of Turkey, its multi-culturalism, identity and creating multi-vocality in terms of belonging and cultural democratization. In terms of form, Dere's generally produce installations through which he can reach the whole from smaller parts. Dere use objects, photos, charcoal patterns and object installations in order to create a personal archive (narrative) in a sense. Also, he create objects based upon the social memory and senses and work on video. In his own words, Dere likes to collect "invisible stories" while creating his works. For the artist, a whole is travelling in time composed of small episodes. Dere constantly feeds his work in this way in their reckoning with and creating reality.
Deriving from Turkey's cultural history, the exhibition consists of a series of ironic and upfront constructions, focusing on a research of local and social memory. While the artist builds his work with the retrieved images of the cultural memory, he poetically includes his own subjectivity to all these captivities. Issues of social injustice, resistance and politics of survival are raised not through the artist's observation as an outsider, but from close range; a perspective precisely constructed by the practices of life. This stance, at times tragicomic, and at times built upon the relationship of patience and suffering, is tackled to be presented to the audience time and again, uninterrupted, and almost prayer like. Looking at Turkey's cultural history, while focused on memory, individual and social identity research, the recent work shows an abstract trend towards poetic lyricism fed by internal reality.
Dere's non-profit art space , located in İzmir ' Gürceşme', also hosts the contemporary art initiative 49A, of which he is the founder. This studio has been founded with the pursuit to create a space where contemporary art can exist in the rhythm of everyday life, open itself up to the world, and interact with its environment. 49A, which is the construct of a visible and sustainable tangible space, thus aims to ensure the accessibility and possibilities of production and host other people's projects in a playfield. The artist, who has opened his first solo exhibitions in this space, is also a longtime member of the K2 Contemporary Art Center in İzmir and has participated in numerous group exhibitions at the center. Additionally Dere has participated in 'When Ideas Become Crime' curated by Halil Altındere at the Tütün Deposu in 2010; 'Port İzmir 2', Silence Storm, 'International Contemporary Art Triennial' ; and the 'I am Here, The Time is Now' exhibition at Rotterdam curated by Ong Keng Sen and sponsored by the European Culture Fund in 2008. He was awarded the special prize at the '27th Contemporary Artists Exhibition' at Akbank Art Beyoğlu. In 2007, he participated in the special project realized at Santral İstanbul in the scope of the 10th İstanbul Biennial. The artist's first comprehensive solo exhibition titled ' Quid rides? De te fabula narratur.' organized at Rampa consists of a series of ironic and upfront constructs focusing on local and social memory research deriving from Turkey's cultural history.
Education
2000 – 04 BA, Painting and Drawing, Dokuz Eylül University. Faculty of Fine Arts, Izmir / Turkey
2013-2015 MA,Painting and Drawing, Dokuz Eylül University.Institute of Fine Arts, Izmir / Turkey
2016-2020 PHD Painting and Drawing , Sakarya University Faculty of Fine Arts ,Sakarya / Turkey
Solo Exhibitions
2023 A.g.e*" [Op. cit.] Merdiven Art Space, Istanbul, Turkey
2021 Elective Affinities SANATORIUM, Istanbul
2015 Payback,İMÇ5533, Independent Art Initiative, Istanbul, Turkey
2015 But Now,49A & IO / NON PROFIT SPACE, Izmir, Turkey
2014 Papercut
Zorlu Center & Art On Istanbul, Turkey
2012 Everything and Nothing,Atölye Flash, Izmir, Turkey
2012 Black Truths, White Lies ,49A / Izmir, Turkey
2012 First Blood,MASA, Istanbul, Turkey
2011 Quid rides? De te fabula narratur?Rampa Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
2010 One Night Stand,49A, Izmir, Turkey
2008 Stardust 49A, Izmir, Turkey
Group Exhibitions
2023 Onunla (Odeabank) O’art,Fişekhane
2023 Uzak Yakın Exhibitons Vol.I T.C kültür Bakanlığı & Kolekta
2022 On A Beam of Light Curated by Begüm Güney. Taksim Sanat, Istanbul
2022 A bit of Unruly Complexity,Curated by Misal Adnan Yıldız. SANATORIUM, Istanbul
2021 Afresh, AKM, Istanbul Küratörler: Haldun Dostoğlu & Gizem Gedik
2020 Mask/Connotations Baksı Museum, Bayburt, Turkey
2020 Drawing the Soul Toward Truth, Online Exhibition
Centre for the Art & Religion, Doug Adams Gallery, Berkeley, U.S.A
2020 Mask "Connotations" Exhibition Baksı Museum , Bayburt
2020 "Drawing the Soul Toward Truth" Online Exhibition, Centre for the Art & Religion, Doug Adams Gallery / Berkeley,U.S.A
2019 Sphere ,Crust Collective Exhibition, Bremen/ Germany
2019 Winter is coming, Merdiven Art Space,Istanbul
2019 Hopeless Emptiness / SANATORIUM, İstanbul
2018 Eskiz Hali, Galeri 5 İstanbul
2018 Burada, Haydarpaşa Garı İstanbul
2018 30 x 30 cm ,Collective Exhibition Sakarya University
2018 Connect the Distances,Salone Degli Incanti Trieste,Italy
2018 Hopeless Emptiness / SANATORIUM, İstanbul
2018 Eskiz Hali, Galeri 5 İstanbul
2017 Burada, Haydarpaşa Garı İstanbul
2017 30 x 30 cm ,Collective Exhibition Sakarya University
2016 Indivisible Sabancı University Kasa Gallery İstanbul
2016 Dar Ağaç-Bu arada Group Exhibition İzmir
2016 Art Prints IZMIR , Maquise project Izmir
2016 Istanbul Codex , Imago Mundi Turkish collection
2015 İzler , Tansa Mermerci Ekşioğlu Kollelsiyonu , M1886
2015 Kapalı Kutu , Curated by Stefan Bohnenberger K2 Contemprorary Art Center
2014 Üç Oda Bir Yabancı , Maquise Project İzmir
2013 Untitled Exhibition PIlevneli Project / Istanbul
2013 ...with all the changes that loomed far behind the horizon? Mars Artist Run Space / İstanbul
2013 Social Animals Group Exhibition Alanistanbul/ Istanbul
2011 Deadpan Exchange V: Skopje, Skopje /Macedonia
2011 Re-Locate, Apartment Project, İstanbul / Turkey
2010 When Ideas Become Crime, Tütün Deposu, İstanbul / Turkey
2010 Silence_Storm, Port İzmir 2, International Triennial of Contemporary Art, İzmir / Turkey
2010 Kasa Gallery, 10th Year exhibition, İstanbul / Turkey
2009 Translocation, collaborative exhibition, Atelierhaus Salzamt, Linz / Austria
2009 Go to Salzamt exhibition, Salzamt Atelierhaus, Linz / Austria
2009 İddialıyız, Mehmet Dere & Nejat Satı, 49A, İzmir / Turkey
2009 Şebeke, video screening, curated by Selim Birsel, Centre d’Art Contemporain Georges Pompidou, Carjac / France
2008 Heim, Kutu Project, Atelier Frankfurt, Frankfurt / Germany
Made in Turkey, Positionen Türkischer Künstler 1978-2008, Frankfurt / Germany
I AM HERE, THE TIME IS NOW, European Cultural Foundation, curated by Ong Keng Sen, Rotterdam / Netherlands
Work to Room, collaborative project, curated by Övül Durmuşoğlu, Gon Bookstore, İstanbul / Turkey
Urban Jelaousy, 1st International Roaming Biennial of Tehran, curated by Serhat Köksal & Amirali Ghasemi, Tehran / Iran
27. Contemporary Artist Exhibition, Special Award, Akbank Sanat Beyoğlu, İstanbul / Turkey
2007 10. İstanbul Biennial, Special Project, Santral İstanbul, İstanbul / Turkey
Off the Record, Parallel Event, Port 07 İzmir, Konak Municipality, Çetin Emeç Exhibition Hall, İzmir / Turkey
Unmarked Categories, K2 Contemporary Art Center, İzmir / Turkey
Endless Possibilities, curated by Adnan Yıldız, Kasa Gallery, İstanbul / Turkey
All About Lies, collaborative project, Apartment Project, İzmir Port, İzmir / Turkey