From Oppression to Exile: Erhan US

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erhan Us and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erhan, the decisions we make often shape our story in profound ways. What was one of the most difficult decisions you’ve had to make?
It was leaving the country where I was born, lived for 35 years, and once loved. In Turkey, where people unconsciously became more conservative, fell under the influence of political Islam, and where there was no respect left for personal space, my artworks and books were censored countless times by galleries, museums, and publishers. After years of struggling within that ecosystem, it no longer had any meaning, nor was it possible for me, as an atheist, to continue creating there.

That is why I moved to the United States, where I would pursue my MFA in Multidisciplinary Art [MICA, 2022] and later settle. It is crucial for societies to be cautious about demographic and religious shifts. In the blink of an eye, your way of life can be erased, and you can feel as if there is no place left for you in what you once called home. The Middle East has countless examples of this. Diversity sometimes does not work with the people thinking theirs is the only true.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
In my art, briefly put, there is a conceptual line that deepens meaning rather than providing mere visual satisfaction. Instead of being an entertaining object, it is about creating a work that conveys any subject [in harmony with its label].

It was not easy. Especially leaving my previous sector and stepping down from my position as CEO of A.D.1644 Marketing Group to focus solely on my art was far from easy. When I did that, all my network/connections reset; because I didn’t hold an art degree. I had diplomas in sociology, management, and philosophy, but that wasn’t accepted in certain art circles. In a market dominated by traditional/classical art, when I created conceptual and experimental works [particularly when their content was political or atheist] institutions did not want to take the ‘risk’ of exhibiting them [in my home country as there was no freedom of speech].

You can still see it at even global art fairs if you pay attention: there is a prevailing decorative visual language, and most galleries don’t want to jeopardize their sales statistics.

Did I overcome it? I don’t know. Without mainstream collectors pointing at, or gallery representations occur for artists, the art world doesn’t chase after us. All responsibilities [production, documentation, text writing, press relations, transportation, organization, portfolio building, and networking] fall on us; while all we want is to create our art without having to think about anything else.

Even in the photography services I provide, what stands out is not the industry dynamics or mainstream habits, but the influence/impact of this artistic movement.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m still very new to Los Angeles, so I’ll skip this question. But what I can say is this: the places I usually visit are museums and galleries. I search them on Google Maps, mark them first, and then categorize by days and areas to explore randomly.

At the same time, I have a YouTube channel [consisting of 1300+ videos] where I upload these exhibitions/fairs. Since moving to the U.S., I can say that all the exhibitions I’ve seen in NY, DC, PA, NC, SC, TX, MD, and FL are there. It is an educational purposed curatorial database that universities or press institutions refer to.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
1. My family, who always supported, taught me free thought and the right to speak.

2. Underrated or not yet discovered artists. I just want to spread their voice at every opportunity. There are countless talents trying to find a place in art schools or in the industry as self–taught. Yet, significant amount of today’s curators prefer to work only with those recommended or referenced by other curators they already know, or to organize exhibitions with the people they can most easily access. As for galleries, we can’t really say they are searching for new artists; moreover, they don’t even accept outside submissions. So, should these young artists sit and wait for years, hoping to be discovered, or for a connection to stumble upon them and offer them a place in an exhibition? Should their networking efforts, their attempts to reach out to galleries and museums, all go to waste? If we leave it to the current art market, yes! Curators, gallerists, wake up and discover new artists! Don’t let new Van Goghs die depressed and undiscovered.

3. Intellectuals/scientists who were imprisoned, killed, or burned because of their ideas. Many of them knew [and still know] that these risks existed in their time, yet they never abandoned the path of science, philosophy, and ideals. That’s why I dedicated my last [third] book, Overestimation to them. It is an open–source book on my website.

Website: erhanus.com

Instagram: erhanus

Linkedin: erhanus

Twitter: erhanus

Youtube: erhanus

Other: Portfolio / Selected Artworks