Deniz Pasha
Born 1985 in Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates
Lives and works in Istanbul, Turkey
Deniz Pasha’s paintings trace the reverberating effects of the Ottoman Empire’s policies towards African bodies with migrants and immigrants who currently live in Turkey. Through portraiture, allegories, and motifs, Pasha echoes the ways in which the historical lineage of African labour and existence is reflected in the segregated, invisible, and opaque lives of the immigrant workforce in Turkey today. She aims to reclaim the genre in her portraits; where these immigrants lead an invisible life — not seen, embraced, or understood — they are remembered, identified, and given presence and individuality. Her series of paintings become a way to reflect the realities of the existing diaspora around the globe.
Deniz Pasha, Kariakoo, 2022, Oil on canvas, 128 x 85 cm. Courtesy of HUSSENOT.

Artists 2022