I am an interdisciplinary artist. My projects merge traditional art practice with scientific materials and biological mediums such as mold spores. I make the invisible micro-organisms around us visible and allow us to see the micro-world physically.
I explore invisible organisms and create visual and observable interactive biological landscapes. I isolate and use mold spores collected from my surroundings to make the invisible microbiome visible. I isolate mold spores from the air, soil, plants, trees, and humans as seen in my projects. I incubate them in a synthetic but habitable environment to witness living organisms’ interactions, struggles, and conflicts across the picture surface. During germination, the mold spores physically imprint their color, texture, and shape on the surface of the panels, which is the living platform. Once completed, microorganisms transition from the microworld to the macroworld and have a physical appearance. Mold spores draw an abstract picture as they transform into a living paint agent.
"Selin Balcı disiplinler arası bir sanatçı ve araştırmacıdır. Üretimlerinde doğal fenomenlere ve mikroorganizmaların mikrobiyal yaşam formlarıyla sorgulama; bilimsel malzemelerle sanatsal ve kültürel alana gömülü baskın değerleri okumaya odaklanır. İnsanların diğer yaşam formlarına ve süreçlerine bağımlılığını dile getirerek üzerine düşünmek için alan açtığı sentetik yaşam ortamları yaratır. Baş kahramanı olan mikroorganizmaların estetik potansiyelleriyle, bağlı olduğumuz ilişkiler ağını gözler önüne getirir." Dilara Güven
I explore invisible organisms and create visual and observable interactive biological landscapes. I isolate and use mold spores collected from my surroundings to make the invisible microbiome visible. I isolate mold spores from the air, soil, plants, trees, and humans as seen in my projects. I incubate them in a synthetic but habitable environment to witness living organisms’ interactions, struggles, and conflicts across the picture surface. During germination, the mold spores physically imprint their color, texture, and shape on the surface of the panels, which is the living platform. Once completed, microorganisms transition from the microworld to the macroworld and have a physical appearance. Mold spores draw an abstract picture as they transform into a living paint agent.
"Selin Balcı disiplinler arası bir sanatçı ve araştırmacıdır. Üretimlerinde doğal fenomenlere ve mikroorganizmaların mikrobiyal yaşam formlarıyla sorgulama; bilimsel malzemelerle sanatsal ve kültürel alana gömülü baskın değerleri okumaya odaklanır. İnsanların diğer yaşam formlarına ve süreçlerine bağımlılığını dile getirerek üzerine düşünmek için alan açtığı sentetik yaşam ortamları yaratır. Baş kahramanı olan mikroorganizmaların estetik potansiyelleriyle, bağlı olduğumuz ilişkiler ağını gözler önüne getirir." Dilara Güven
AWARDS AND GRANTS
2023 ARPA, Arts Council of Anne Arundel County, Anne Arundel County Local Artist Support Program - Independent Artist Grant
2022 Creativity Grant, Maryland State Arts Council, Baltimore, MD
2022 ARPA, Arts Council of Anne Arundel County, Anne Arundel County Local Artist Support Program - Independent Artist Grant
2019 Mary Sawyers Baker Artist Award in Interdisciplinary Category, Baltimore, MD
2018 Trawick Prize Semi-Finalist, Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, Bethesda, MD
2017 Trawick Prize Semi-Finalist, Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, Bethesda, MD
2015 Trawick Prize Finalist, Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, Bethesda, MD
2014 Smack Mellon, Project Grant, Brooklyn, NY.
2013 Trawick Prize Finalist, Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, Bethesda, MD
2012 SOFAlab, Science/Art Project Collaboration Grant, George Mason University,Fairfax,VA
2012 Smack Mellon Hot Picks Artist, Brooklyn, NY
2011 Goldhaber Travel Grant, University of Maryland Graduate School, College Park, MD
RESIDENCIES/FELLOWSHIPS
2022 Artist in Residence, Mass MoCA, North Adams, MA
2021 Artist in Residence, Istanbul Art Residency, Istanbul, Turkey
2020 Artist in Residence+Micro Grant, Laboratory Residency, Spokane, WA
2017 Fellow Artist, The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, Philadelphia, PA
2012 Artist in Residence, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Amherst, VA
2011 Artist in Resident, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT
2010-12 So Hamiltonian Fellowship, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC
2012 College Art Association (CAA) Professional-Development Fellowship, NY
2009 Anne Truitt MFA Scholarship, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS (solo exhibitions *)
2025
Breakdown: The Promise of Decay, Staten Island Museum, Staten Island, NY (January)
Baker Award, Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD (April)
2024
Fungal Partners: Connections in the Network of Life, Museum Sinclair-Haus, Bad Homburg Germany
Baker Award Finalists Showcase, Current Space, Baltimore, MD
2023
The Lab BioArt, During Turkiye Innovation Week, Istanbul, Turkey
Eskizden Piksele Dijital Sanat, Antalya Kultur Yolu Festivali, Antalya, Turkey
2022
Kinetic by Hamiltonian Gallery, Terzo Piano, Washington DC
2021
Memories and Identities, Istanbul Art Residency, Istanbul, Turkey
Empirical Evidence, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington DC
2020
Contemporary Istanbul, Plug-in, Istanbul, Turkey
Growth, ArtFarm Studios, Annapolis, MD
Just to Say, Artnivo Online Dialog Series during Covid 19 pandemic, Istanbul, Turkey
2019
In/Flux, Pelham Art Center, Pelham, NY
Happening Now, during Istanbul Biennial, Artnivo, Istanbul, Turkey
Washington Project for the Arts Collector's Night, Washington DC
Faculty Show, Marlboro Gallery, PGCC, Largo, MD
2018
Anthropogenic,The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center, Silver Spring, MD*
Symbiartic, during International Congress on Biomedicine, Tech Park, Sofia, Bulgaria
InterForms, Istanbul Design Week, Halic Congress Center, Istanbul, Turkey
Benefit Art Auction 2018, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Omaha, NE
Allllll Natural, School 33 Art Center, Baltimore, MD
Faculty Show, Cade Gallery, AACC, Arnold, MD
Scientific Methods: Art + Science, Blue Spiral 1 Gallery, Asheville, NC New Dimensions, Mitchell Gallery at St. John's College
Alchemical Vessels, Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery, Washington DC
2017
Istanbul Codex, Contemporary Artists from Turkey, BAM - Palermo, Italy
Umbilical Cord, Buyukdere 35, Istanbul, Turkey
Kentucky Derby Party and Art Auction, Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, NY
2016
Under the Scope, Silber Art Gallery, Goucher College, Towson, MD
Contemporary Istanbul, with Artnivo artists, Istanbul, Turkey
King of the Forest: Adventures in Bio-perversity, Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA
CAPP at 10: The Shape of Remembering, Stamp Gallery, University of Maryland, MD
Kentucky Derby Party and Art Auction, Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, NY
2015
40 Meter 4 Walls 8 Cubical, Zorlu PSM, Istanbul, Turkey*
Trawick Prize 2015:Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, Gallery B, Bethesda, MD
Peephole Cinema San Francisco, CA
Kentucky Derby Party and Art Auction, Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, NY
Celebration and Memories, Lucca, Istanbul, Turkey
2014
Bordered World, Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, NY
Selin Balci: Microbial Growth, Sandbox Gallery, Washington College, Chestertown, MD
Arena, Honfleur Gallery, Washington, DC
Contemporary Istanbul, with Artnivo artists, Istanbul, Turkey
Faculty Show, Marlboro Gallery, Prince George’s Community College, Largo, MD
Life is Flux, Boyden Gallery at St. Mary's College, MD
Wish You Were Here 13, AIR Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Download, The Sofa Hotel, Hall Arts, Istanbul, Turkey
SCOPE Art Fair NY, Rush Arts Gallery, NY
I Kan Do Dat, Rush Arts Gallery, NY
2013
SELECT FAIR MIAMI, with Rush Arts Gallery Artists, Miami, FL
Signs of Life, Corridor Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Emulsion, East City Art Regional Juried Show, Gallery O, Washington, DC
Hamiltonian Artists Alumni Exhibition, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC
(e)merge Art Fair, Artist Platform, Washington, DC
Transformer Gallery Auction, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Regional Juried Exhibition, Maryland Art Place, Baltimore, MD
Trawick Prize 2013:Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, Gallery B, Bethesda, MD
The Adele H. Stamp Student Union’s Contemporary Art Collection Latest Acquisitions Stamp Gallery, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Wish You Were Here 12, AIR Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
WPA’s OPTIONS 2013, Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA
2012
Interact and Transform, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC*
Call Collect 2012, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC
Microscapes, The District of Columbia Arts Center. Washington, DC
Empowered, Marlboro Gallery, Prince George’s Community College, Largo, MD
Untitled no. 3, Randall Scott Projects, Washington, DC
Academy 2012, CONNERSMITH, Washington DC
Fellows Converge ‘Obstructions’, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC
VIP Art Fair, Online MFA Juried Exhibition
MFA Thesis Exhibition, The Art Gallery, University of Maryland College Park, MD
Field Work, VisArts, Rockville, MD
Conflux, The Pearl Conard Art Gallery, The Ohio State University, Mansfield, OH
2011
Organic Plasticity, The District of Columbia Arts Center, Washington, DC*
Bound, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC*
Mind the Gap, 5533 Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
Fellows Converge: Broadly Thinking. Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC
Midpoint, Stamp Gallery, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
2010
SCOPE Art Fair, with Hamiltonian Artists, Miami, FL
New and Now 2010, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC Art Scouts, Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA
2009
Remember Your First Time, Herman Merril Gallery, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
2014
Bordered World, Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, NY
Selin Balci: Microbial Growth, Sandbox Gallery, Washington College, Chestertown, MD
Arena, Honfleur Gallery, Washington, DC
Contemporary Istanbul, with Artnivo artists, Istanbul, Turkey
Faculty Show, Marlboro Gallery, Prince George’s Community College, Largo, MD
Life is Flux, Boyden Gallery at St. Mary's College, MD
Wish You Were Here 13, AIR Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Download, The Sofa Hotel, Hall Arts, Istanbul, Turkey
SCOPE Art Fair NY, Rush Arts Gallery, NY
I Kan Do Dat, Rush Arts Gallery, NY
2013
SELECT FAIR MIAMI, with Rush Arts Gallery Artists, Miami, FL
Signs of Life, Corridor Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Emulsion, East City Art Regional Juried Show, Gallery O, Washington, DC
Hamiltonian Artists Alumni Exhibition, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC
(e)merge Art Fair, Artist Platform, Washington, DC
Transformer Gallery Auction, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Regional Juried Exhibition, Maryland Art Place, Baltimore, MD
Trawick Prize 2013:Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, Gallery B, Bethesda, MD
The Adele H. Stamp Student Union’s Contemporary Art Collection Latest Acquisitions Stamp Gallery, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Wish You Were Here 12, AIR Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
WPA’s OPTIONS 2013, Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA
2012
Interact and Transform, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC*
Call Collect 2012, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC
Microscapes, The District of Columbia Arts Center. Washington, DC
Empowered, Marlboro Gallery, Prince George’s Community College, Largo, MD
Untitled no. 3, Randall Scott Projects, Washington, DC
Academy 2012, CONNERSMITH, Washington DC
Fellows Converge ‘Obstructions’, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC
VIP Art Fair, Online MFA Juried Exhibition
MFA Thesis Exhibition, The Art Gallery, University of Maryland College Park, MD
Field Work, VisArts, Rockville, MD
Conflux, The Pearl Conard Art Gallery, The Ohio State University, Mansfield, OH
2011
Organic Plasticity, The District of Columbia Arts Center, Washington, DC*
Bound, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC*
Mind the Gap, 5533 Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
Fellows Converge: Broadly Thinking. Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC
Midpoint, Stamp Gallery, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
2010
SCOPE Art Fair, with Hamiltonian Artists, Miami, FL
New and Now 2010, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC Art Scouts, Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA
2009
Remember Your First Time, Herman Merril Gallery, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
EDUCATION
2012 MFA, Mixed Media/Installation, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
2008 BFA, Intermedia, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
2002 BSc, Forestry, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey
2008 BFA, Intermedia, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
2002 BSc, Forestry, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey