ESRA GÜLMEN | Plataforma, Guadalajara, Mexico

TILE BY TILE, I EXIST. Opening June 22 @ Plataforma, Guadalajara, Mexico. Esra Gülmen’s first solo exhibition in Mexico, will open this coming June 22 at Plataforma. As a continuation of her exploration of an uncensorable present and her commitment to questioning the suppression of expression, Esra builds a playful space full of questions.
For the past few months, the berlin-based artist has been tirelelssly working on new ceramic pieces during her residency at Ceramica Suro, a renowned ceramics studio in Mexico. Esra Gülmen (*1986, Istanbul) creates contemporary iconography rooted in today’s visual culture while drawing from the past. Her playful, ironic works reveal social codes, the human condition, and everyday obsessions. She torpedoes idealized narratives in contemporary art, using irony and parody while fluidly navigating the boundaries between sculpture and painting.
Her provocative series Uncensorable playfully reverses oppression through mosaic panels— censoring what society tries to hide: love, dissent, intimacy. Using ceramic tiles, a staple of Islamic art, Gülmen challenges cultural constraints. What began as a response to censorship in Middle Eastern countries now explores broader suppression—whether by government, religion, society, or internalized fear. The technique itself becomes a statement, covering yet revealing suppressed expression.
ESRA GÜLMEN | Tile by Tile, I exist.