While enhancing our imaginations and consciousness, Belgin Yücelen’s art remains true to the desire to create meaning and beauty in subtle simplicity. With her installations, sculptures, films and prints, she asks the questions of Who we are? and Where we are going? So together we can achieve basic human wisdom. Rather than a direct representation, she creates a fictional world beyond the existing to conjure unrealized possibilities to challenge imaginations. Traces of her previous years in Turkey appear in her artwork placing it at the fascinating edge where East and West meet and ancient and modern coincide. She has been recognized by organizations such as the Colorado Creative Industries, Boulder Country Arts Alliance, Moon and Stars Project Grant, Clark Hulings Fund, Hemera Foundation, and National Sculpture Society. She founded House of Serein in 2019 as a creative space for community use and studios for artists in Boulder, CO. She is currently serving as a board member at the Dairy Arts Center and as a grant panelist at the Boulder Arts Commission.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2020 Among Flowers in Bloom (installation art, video, poetry), House of Serein, CO, March-April
Clothes from the Past at the Customs House Museum, Clarksville, TN, November 2019-January
2019 From Ancient to Now at the BoxHeart Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA, May-June
2018 Clothes from the Past at the Helena Davis Gallery, Artspace, Richmond, VA, July–Aug
2017 Sole Purpose: The Shoe at the Arts/Harmony Hall, Fort Washington, MD, Oct-Dec
7th Solo Art Series Art Competition at the Light Space & Time Art Gallery, Oct–Nov
Installation: For Children who will Never be Able to Fly a Kite, fundraiser for the famine in Africa, June, 2017
Clothes from the Past: Installation at the Lakeside Legacy Foundation (LLF), Dole Mansion, IL, March
Ethereal Shoes: Installation at the LLF, Dole Mansion, IL, March
Floating Children: Installatin in collaboration with photojournalist Brian Rutter at the LLF, IL, March
Words: Installation and Audio Show at the Lakeside Legacy Foundation, Dole Mansion, IL, March
2016 Journey of a Thousand Years at the Memorial Hall Galleries, Chadron, NE, February – March
2015 Journey of a Thousand Years at the CACE Gallery of Fine Art, Fort Morgan, CO, Oct-Nov
2014 A Journey in Bronze at the Smith Klein Gallery, Boulder, CO, March-April
2012 Solo Show at the Consortium816 Gallery, Denver, CO, Aug
2004 Denver Performance Arts Complex, Denver, CO
Swallow Hill Art Gallery, Denver, CO
2002 Quiet Memories of Life at UC Denver, CO
Selected Group Exhibitions
2021 Contemplation, Dairy Arts Center, Boulder, CO, Nov-Dec
Art + Science + Action, Arbor Institute, Boulder, CO, Nov-Dec
2020 Pink Progression-Collaborations, Arvada Center, Arvada, CO, July-Nov
artWork From Home Exhibition at the Art Gym Gallery, Denver, CO, May-June
NoBo group show at the First Congregational Church, Boulder, CO, February-March
2019 Art as Advocacy: Promoting Equity and Social Justice for Women, Springfield Art Association, IL, September
Bridges Exhibition, Eldorado Arts Center, Boulder, CO, June
The Colorado REACH Conference and Gala at the Cable Center, Denver University, June
Denver Chamber Commerce at Charles Schwab, Denver, CO, March
2018 Art of Data in the Canyon Gallery at Boulder Library, CO, Dec – Feb
Identity Spectrum at Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA, May – Aug
Edge of Excess II, Foundry Art Center, Saint Charles, MO, May – June
Artivism at Pollak Gallery, Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ, April – May
2017 INTERSTATE exhibition at the Sarah Spurgeon Gallery, Central Washington University, WA, Nov
Metamorphosis Show by the Women’s Caucus for Art at the Core New Art Space, Denver, CO, Oct–Nov
6th Annual Juried International Exhibition of Contemporary Islamic Art at the Irving Arts Center, TX, Oct-Nov
Paradox Show at the Spark Gallery, Denver, CO, Aug-Sept
BARED Exhibit at the Ground Floor Gallery, Nashville, TN, Aug
Artful Fashion National Exhibition at the Allegany Arts Council, May
2016 83 Annual Awards Exhibition at Brookgreen Gardens, SC, Aug-Oct
Off the Wall at the Maryland Federation of Art Summer Annex, Annapolis, MD, June-July
State of Unions at the Core Annex Gallery, Denver, CO, May-June
Art 7/24 at Armaggan Galeries, Istanbul, Turkey, January – March
2015 Through Her Eyes at the Lacuna Galleries, Santa Fe, NM, May
8th Annual Human Form in Art Show at the Hilliard Gallery, Kansas City, MO, April-May
Creativity Inside the Box at the Loveland Public Library Galleria, Loveland, CO, April-June
The Crow Show at The Studio Door, San Diego, CA, Feb
The 14th Annual Art Inter/National at Box Heart Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA, Jan-March
2014 Open Studios, Boulder, Oct
2013 American Art Today: Figures at the Bunzl Gallery, Highlands, NC, September – Jan
Show at the Bell Studio Gallery, Denver, CO, Jan
Sculpture in the Park Show, Loveland, CO
2012 Sculpture in the Park Show, Loveland, CO, Aug
Women’s Works at Woodstock, IL, March
Expo 33 at the B.J. at the Spoke Gallery, New York, April
Istanbul Breeze, Turkish Contemporary Art at the Hilton-Asmus Gallery, Chicago, IL, Nov-Jan
Own an Original Art Competition at the Littleton Museum, CO, Nov-Jan
Boulder Art Resource Exhibition at the Boulder Public Library, CO, Jan-Feb
Topeka Competition, Topeka, KS, Jan
Body and Soul Exhibition at the Hilton-Asmus Gallery, Chicago, IL, Dec
SOFA Chicago, Chicago, IL, Nov
Show at the Elinoff Gallery, Telluride CO
Sculpture in the Park Show, Loveland, CO
2011 Sculpture in the Park Show, Loveland, CO
Art at the River Market, Little Rock, AR
Voices VI: Perspectives of the Artistic Soul at the Rembrandt Yard Gallery, Boulder, CO, Jan
2010 Loveland Invitational Sculpture Show, Loveland, CO
The Great Frame Up Artists Gallery, Longmont, CO
Open Studios Fall Artist Tour, World Art Showcase, Boulder, CO
Art at the River Market, Little Rock, AR
2009 Colorado Artists Guild Juried Exhibition at the Event Gallery, Denver, CO
Loveland Invitational Sculpture Show, Loveland, CO
2008 Summer Art Market Sculpture Show, ASLD, Denver, CO
2007 Summer Art Market Sculpture Show, ASLD, Denver, CO
2006 Russian Art Gallery, Santa Fe, Group Exhibition, Denver, CO
2005 Summer Art Market Sculpture Show, ASLD, Denver, CO
2004 Power and Politics at the Art Students League of Denver, CO
Art in Public Places at the Louisville Art Association, Louisville, CO
2003 Downtown Boulder Art Fair, Boulder, CO
Group Exhibition: Colorado Arts Festival Curated Show, Denver, CO
5th Annual Colorado Arts Festival, Denver, CO
Group Exhibition: Art Association of Harrisburg Galleries, PA
Group Exhibition: 5th Annual Colorado Arts Festival, Denver, CO
Annual Juried Show at the Spark Gallery, Denver, CO
2002 Group Exhibition: Gallery Sovereign, Boulder, CO
Galleries
- Christopher Hill Gallery, St Helena, CA
- BoxHeart Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
- Selby Fleetwood Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
- Smith-Klein Gallery, Boulder
- Hilton-Asmus Contemporary, Chicago
Museums
- Customs House Museum, Clarksville, TN,
- Virtual Shoe Museum, The Hague, Netherlands
Public Art
2010 Art on the Street 2010 Gallery, Lafayette, CO
2010 Art Advocacy Project, Loveland, CO
Awards
- 2021, Residency at La Macina di San Cresci, Tuscany, Italy
- 2021, Art + Science Cohort Grant by BCAA
- Fellowship Award from the 2020 BCAA Endowment Fund
- 2020 #andratuttobene award by Nine Dot Arts, Denver
- 2020 Boulder Arts Week Artist Sponsorship by the City of Boulder Office of Arts and Culture
- 2019 Professional Development Scholarship by the Boulder Arts Commission
- 2019 Colorado Creative Industries Career Advancement Grant
- As of 2019, Board Member at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder
- As of 2019, a panelist at the Boulder Cultural Grants Program at the City of Boulder Office of Arts + Culture
- 2018 Moon and Stars Project Grant by the American Turkish Society
- “Floating Tales” print was featured as Silver Needle Press Visual-Art Contest winner. It will also be published in Silver Needle Press’s Fall 2018 journal issue.
- 2018 Executive Level Fellow by the Clark Hulings Fund for the Business Accelerator Program
- Elected as a Member of the National Sculpture Society (NSS)
- 2017 Fellow by the Clark Hulings Fund for the Business Accelerator Program
- 2018 Kristal Balta award by KALID Istanbul
- Tending Space Fellowship for Artists by Hemera Foundation, 2017
- Winner of the Expo 33 Competition 2014, New York
- Gallery Choice Award, Women’s Works 2014, Woodstock, IL
- 1st Place Award for Sculpture, 2009, Colorado Artists Guild Juried Exhibition, Event Gallery, Denver
Publications, Reviews and Lectures
- Meet Belgin Yucelen, Voyage Denver, October, 2020
- One Mind, Many Mediums by Andra Zeppelin, September 28, 2020
- Colorado Creatives: Belgin Yucelen by Susan Froyd at Westword, April 20, 2020
- Custom House Museum To Feature Belgin Yucelen’s Sculptural Garments, Clarksville Online, November, 2019
- Why Do We Need Art? Kadıköy Maarif Dergisi, Page 21-22/29, Summer – Fall, 2019
- The PhotoPhore, June, 2019
- Artists Inspire Artists”, January, 2019
- “Digital Waves”, by A Room of Her Own Foundation (AROHO)
- Spotlight on.. Belgin Yucelen, April 10, 2017
- Arttour International, Spring Issue, 2017
- Dole Mansion Presentation on Exhibition Inspirations, March, 2017
- Arttour international, February 15, 2017
- Amplified Art Network, February 14, 2017
- Fort Morgan Times, October 19, 2015
- Pittsburgh Articulate, January 27, 2015
- The Tribune Review, January 25, 2015
- Les Femmes Folles, January 9, 2015
- Daily Camera, March 20, 2014
- Chicago Reader, October 31, 2012
- The Examiner, December 4, 2012
- Lecture and Presentation at SOFA Chicago Show, November 4, 2012
- Turkish American Cultural Society of Colorado, August 4, 2012
- Reporter-Herald, August 11, 2010