About
Cigdem Atahan is a Turkish-born, U.S.-based artist working primarily in painting. Her practice centers on the surface, built through texture, material, and subtle dimensional elements that extend beyond the flat image without fully becoming sculptural.
Her work explores tension, fragility, and the unstable balance between holding on and letting go. Lines, strings, and suspended forms recur throughout the work, suggesting states of attachment, restraint, and release.
Her process is material-driven and intuitive. Through layering, intervention, and reconstruction, she creates works that invite close looking, where meaning remains open and shaped through perception.
CV
CIGDEM ATAHAN
​
Mixed Media Artist | Painting • Sculpture
Northern Virginia, USA
www.atelieratahan.com
Instagram: @atelieratahan
Email: sales@atelieratahan.com
PROFILE
Cigdem Atahan is a Turkish-born, U.S.-based mixed media artist working between painting and sculpture. Her work explores psychological landscapes and the layered complexity of human existence through textured surfaces, symbolic imagery, and three-dimensional elements. By integrating traditional painting with sculptural materials, her works expand beyond the canvas and invite viewers into reflective and open-ended interpretation.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2026
Aynı Anda
Ari Kültür Sanat Merkezi — Ankara, Turkey
GROUP EXHIBITIONS (JURIED)
2026
Art League Gallery — Monochrome Exhibition
“The Hunt”, Oil
2025
AIM Gallery — Water Water Everywhere Exhibition
“Float and Sink”, Acrylic
2025
AIM Gallery — Anything Red Exhibition
“Lifted”, Acrylic
AWARDS & HONORS
2025
People’s Choice Award — AIM Gallery
Lifted
2024
Honorable Mention — Teravarna Art Gallery
The Survival
EDUCATION & TRAINING
2017–Present
Advanced Painting Studies
The Art League School — Alexandria, Virginia
Selected instruction with:
Teresa Oaxaca — Figure Painting & Classical Techniques
Jennifer Balkan — Contemporary Painting Practice
Susan O’Neil — Charcoal Drawing
Rick Casali — Portrait Sculpture
George Tikadblaze — Figurative Sculpture
SELECTED WORKSHOPS
2026
Figurative Sculpture Workshop — George Tikadblaze
Alexandria, Virginia, USA
2025
Oil Painting Workshop — Teresa Oaxaca
Fairfax, Virginia, USA
2018
Drawing Workshop — Teresa Oaxaca
Alexandria, Virginia, USA
2017
Painting Workshop — Beverley Tracy
Southern France
MEDIUM
Mixed media, acrylic painting, oil painting, drawing, sculpture, PLA elements, 3D-printed forms, resin, and experimental materials.
ARTISTIC THEMES
Layered complexity of existence
Psychological landscapes
Symbolism and conceptual narrative
Material experimentation and dimensional surfaces
Tension between freedom and constraint
COLLECTIONS
Private collections in the United States and Turkey
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