Berke Polat

Painter

Berke Polat (b. 1997, Istanbul) graduated from the Department of Architecture at Kadir Has University. During his studies, his design projects were exhibited in various contexts, including VitrA, where his façade design inspired by William Morris’s wallpaper patterns was presented. His small-scale design project Unity was exhibited at the university and later included in its architectural archive. After graduating, Polat turned his focus entirely to painting, developing a figurative oil painting practice.

His work explores the intersections of the body, love, desire, loss, and identity, with a particular focus on queer experiences and homoerotic themes. Revisiting the heteronormative narratives of art history, Polat constructs a personal visual mythology where desire, intimacy, and identity are deeply intertwined. The pomegranate becomes a recurring symbol within this world, representing the convergence of love, desire, and loss. For the artist, every love creates its own forbidden fruit, and every search for desire becomes a journey toward self-definition. Through his paintings, Polat invites viewers to explore their own relationships with love, identity, longing, and vulnerability.