Ali is an interior designer and painter

I studied interior design, finished my masters degree in Milan and completed my PhD in Turkey before I moved to the UK in 2019.

I am still working as an interior designer and as an artist. Specifically, I am examining the effects of post-truth ideology both in my designs and in my paintings. This is something I focused on when I was preparing my PhD as well.

When did you become an artist and why?
During my PhD period in 2007, I started reading more about post-truth ideology and couldn't stop drawing the cities and people living in those cities from a post-truth perspective. It’s where people are living a duality between their reality and their hopes/desires. It comes down to the basic contradiction between reality and subconscious hopes. This is seen in my drawings of cities, streets and buildings – these are the realities that we are living in.

What is your preferred medium and why?
I love painting watercolours as well as drawing with an ink pen. Also I am using acrylics on canvas. Playing around with water colours and using primary acrylic colours are things I really enjoy. It’s the duality of strong primary colours and the transparency of fluid colours that appeals to me.

What are you working on now?
I am always sketching while walking in the streets, observing people who are living in real cities but are still disconnected from their reality.

Also, I’m currently writing a comic novel and drawing the illustrations and panels for it. It will take more time than I expected but hopefully I will be able to finish it soon.

Last year I started painting with digital programs and I’m discovering a lot of different creative possibilities.

What shows do you have coming up?
In UK, I will take part in the next group show by Barnes Artists in November.

Do you have a favourite artist?
I can easily say Joan Miró and Egon Schiele 

Are any of your friends artists?
Half of my friends are artists but I am inspired by philosophers generally.

Are any members of your family artists?
My aunt was an artist and an art teacher.

If your house was burning down what piece of art would you save?
It would by my Thinker series. These abstract portraits are my representations of the idea of post-truth reality.

How would you summarise your artistic life?
I believe in the multidisciplinary works and inspirations from everything that resonates around me. From flowers to books, philosophers to my children. Inspiration is the key to creativity