Derya Akay (born 1988) is a Turkish artist based in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Akay has held numerous solo and group exhibitions in Canada,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

U.S The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

., and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. In 2010, Akay graduated from

Emily Carr University of Art and Design The Emily Carr University of Art and Design (stylized as Emily Carr University of Art + Design and abbreviated as ECU) is a public university of art school, art and design located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1925 as the Van ...

and completed a residency at the

Banff Centre Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (formerly Banff Centre) is an arts and culture educational institution in Banff, Alberta, Banff, Alberta. It offers arts programs in the Performing arts, performing and fine arts, as well as leadership trai ...

Work

Akay's artistic practice involves community organizing, gathering, cooking, food and knowledge sharing, gardening, performance, and installation. Akay often uses tableware, textiles, food, and organic material in installations and performances with a focus on feminized and collective labour, while using intimate and domestic spaces such as kitchens, gardens, and bedrooms to showcase his work. Akay's mother, Dilara Akay, is an activist and artist. They collaborated on ''Ghost Spring'' (2018), a work about the political upheavals in Turkey and the loss of loved ones, installed and performed at Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver, Canada, in association with

Grunt gallery The grunt gallery is a Canadian artist-run centre, founded in 1984 and located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They show work by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists. History Established in 1984, and founded by Glenn Alteen, Kempton Dexte ...

Exhibitions and projects

Akay has collaborated with artists such as Haruko Okano, T’uy’t’tanat Cease Wyss, Julia Feyrer, and Anne Low. * ''Queer Dowry'' (2022)'', What Water Knows, The Land Remembers'', Toronto Biennial of Art * ''Looking at the Garden Fence'' (2021), with Vivienne Bessette and Garden Don't Care artist collective at Sahalli Park

Community Garden A community garden is a piece of land gardened or cultivated by a group of people individually or collectively. Normally in community gardens, the land is divided into individual plots. Each individual gardener is responsible for their own plot ...

, Elisabeth Rogers Community Garden, Harmony Garden X̱wemelch’stn pen̓em̓áy * ''Meydan'' (2021), Polygon Gallery * ''The Neighbours Plate'' (2020), with Dana Qaddah and Amna Elnour, Unit 17 * ''Green Grocer'' (2018), Unit 17 * ''with bread'' (2017), Campbell River Art Gallery * ''Punice'' (2017), Del Vaz Projects * ''Vancouver Special: Ambivalent Pleasures'' (2016),

Vancouver Art Gallery The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) is an art museum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The museum occupies a adjacent to Robson Square in downtown Vancouver, making it the largest art museum in Western Canada by building size. Designed by Fr ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akay, Derya Living people 1988 births Artists from Istanbul Canadian installation artists Canadian performance artists Emily Carr University of Art and Design alumni Turkish artists Turkish emigrants to Canada Turkish performance artists