PLEASURE – Seçil Erel
Known for her bold approach to abstraction, Seçil Erel creates a dialogue between reality and what lies beyond. By combining color and texture with layers and light, she invites the viewer to dream and reconnect with their inner creativity. Through the word pleasure, the artist reflects on life and her practice.
When was the last time you used the word “pleasure”?
Today. I’ve been using it quite frequently lately. These days, I’m focused on seeing and sharing the joy and beauty of life.
What kind of feeling does this word evoke in you?
It has a warm, soft tone, like a well-steeped color. It feels like the cherry in cherry liqueur.
How is this word related to you and your work?
To me, pleasure is like a sweet light pouring in through a door that opens after effort. That feeling contains dynamic colors and rich layers.
What are the three words you’d like to pass on to our next guest?
Timelessness, Fun, Play
Born in Istanbul, Seçil Erel completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Mimar Sinan University’s Department of Painting before expanding her artistic practice on an international level. Today, she works from her studios in both London and Istanbul, inviting her audience to a perception beyond time and space through her powerful abstract paintings.
Her work brings together themes such as human rights, diversity, sustainability, and borders, articulated through color, layering, and movement. A recipient of the London Creative Network grant and shortlisted for the 2021 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, Erel has also made a strong mark on the UK’s contemporary art scene.
This June, Seçil Erel will unveil her solo exhibition Alliance at D Contemporary Gallery in London’s Mayfair. On view from June 3–15, 2025, as part of London Gallery Weekend, the show features new works produced especially for the occasion. Alliance explores the invisible connections formed between opposing forces in life, approaching themes of transformation, reconstruction and spiritual integration.
