bio

While Öykü Önal's interests in visual arts and music have evolved over time, she pursued her undergraduate studies at Istanbul Technical University, majoring in Architecture. Reflecting on the complexities of identity and self-perception, Önal discovered photography as a medium through which her various "selves" could coexist, particularly evident in her self-portraits. In her photobook "Apaçık Saklı" (2021), published by Onagöre, Önal delved into a process of confrontation concerning childhood and growing up, exploring fragments of autobiographical memory. Her works took part in the "Nude/Covered" exhibition at C.A.M. Gallery, “BAS No.2” exhibition at BelmArt Space, "What's your name?" at Saye Collective, and were selected for BASE 2024. She received the 2023 SALT Research Fund alongside Suzan Pektaş for their project "Matter and Reaction: A Rapidly Fading Urban Ideal of the 20th Century and Balya Mine". In 2024, Önal's exhibition "Mute-" showcased at the FASS Art Gallery in the university, as the outcome of her master's thesis at Sabancı University, focused on a reconstructive approach to memory through visual arts, centering on silent family narratives.