The “Unseen Daughters” exhibition, featuring 37 works by artist Elif Varol Ergen, is open to art lovers free of charge at the Park Palace Hotel in Kyrenia.

The impressively expressive solo exhibition “Unseen Daughters” by artist Elif Varol Ergen continues to introduce art lovers to works from diverse disciplines. Opened free of charge at the Park Palace Hotel Exhibition Hall in Kyrenia, the exhibition, featuring 37 printmaking and illustration works, aims to highlight the female identities that society ignores, suppresses, and excludes.

Elif Varol Ergen’s works in the exhibition draw inspiration from mythological figures such as Eve, who was expelled from Paradise, and Lilith, who voluntarily left Paradise. She also draws attention to the limitations modern society places on the female body and identity. The artist describes women in terms of their lives, which are intertwined with family structure, gender roles, and cultural codes, and uses artistic language to make visible the representations of women who have been suppressed in individual and collective memory.

The exhibition first opened at the Atatürk Culture and Congress Center Exhibition Hall of the Near East University and then opened to art lovers at the Grand Library Exhibition Hall of the University of Kyrenia. The “IUnseen Daughters” exhibition will continue to be on display free of charge at the Kyrenia Park Palace Hotel.

Who is Elif Varol?

Elif Varol Ergen is an artist and academic who has been striving to bring themes to light such as women’s rights, gender discrimination, parent-child relationships, and the subconscious through her art for over 14 years. Her works often incorporate feminist discourses, interpretations of women in esoteric sources, and mythological metaphors, portraying strong and rebellious female characters through a dark narrative. Elif Varol Ergen, who has been a faculty member in the Graphics Department of Hacettepe University’s Faculty of Fine Arts for over 16 years, completed her undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees at the same university. The artist, who began her artistic career with children’s books and editorial illustrations, has gradually shifted her focus to social issues and women’s representation.

Her artistic work has been exhibited in Turkey, as well as in Germany and the United States, and she has received numerous national and international awards. Her art writings and illustrations have appeared in numerous international art and design magazines, and her first art book was published in New York in 2017. She currently serves as an Associate Professor at Hacettepe University.