About the Artist.
Arkin Demirel (b. 1979) is a French-Turkish contemporary artist known for his poetic, abstract compositions that explore memory, silence, and identity. Working primarily with acrylics, Demirel creates meditative paintings marked by rhythmic lines, luminous contrasts, and a subtle interplay between stillness and motion.
Born in Izmir and based in Paris, he draws inspiration from both Mediterranean light and the shadowed geometry of European cities. His work echoes the fluidity of water, the layering of time, and the unsaid—what is felt rather than spoken. A recurring theme in his practice is the healing potential of art: each painting seeks to restore balance, preserve traces of inner worlds, and offer viewers a space of reflection.
Arkın Demirel in his Anjou studio in 2022
With visual influences ranging from calligraphy and architecture to musical notation and childhood memories, Demirel’s canvases act as silent conversations. They evoke the misty mornings of Paris, the fragemented voices of uprooting, and the deep scars left by forgotten stories. Black, white, and shades of blue and green form the backbone of his palette—chosen not for their symbolism, but for their ability to carry emotion and silence with dignity.
Demirel rejects fixed boundaries, whether national or conceptual. For him, painting is a universal language that crosses borders and dissolves conflict. In his visual vocabulary, earth, sea, sky, and metal become metaphors for emotion, resilience, and connection.
His works have been featured in both independent exhibitions and curated spaces, including a selection by the Saatchi Gallery team for their official Instagram in 2016. Today, they are held in several private collections across Europe and beyond.
Arkin Demirel continues to paint between Paris and Anjou, weaving light into matter and silence into form.
Arkın Demirel in his Paris studio in 2015 © Photo by Paris la douce