Simay Keles is a painter based in Berlin, Germany. Born in Izmir, Turkey, she moved to Germany to pursue her studies when she was 18. Working in series, Keles’ work responds to nature, migration and human experience. Keles is profoundly inspired by her travels. Changing places and traveling through the cultures have always been a part of her life. She paints what she recognizes and witnesses as beautiful and in danger of erosion.
Her work moves between figuration and abstraction, depending on the series she is working on.
Her layered paintings consist of oil and acrylic colors. Without making sketches in advance, she uses both sides of the canvas, the different layers serve as a base for the next layer whilst leaving them all partly visible or the viewer through the transparent materials (e.g. tulle, silk, etc). She applies a sculptural approach to the canvas, as the spatial displacements resulting from the two layers create visual confusion, optical illusions and an unconventional perception of spaces. Aiming to keep the naturalness as an aspect within her work, she sometimes leaves unpainted and untouched spots on the raw canvas.
Her paintings have been extibited internationally and are part of private collections in US, Canada, UK and EU.
Since 2025 she is running an event series called Soho Crit Club at Soho House Berlin. A platform for artists and creatives to share their work with the professionals from the art art industry and find inspiration through engaging discussions.