Sermin Ciddi is a renowned Turkish artist skilled in modern miniature (minyatur) painting, one of the highly specialized visual arts of Ottoman and Turkish culture along with calligraphy (hat) and marbling paper (ebru). Born in Istanbul, Ms. Cidd takes inspiration from her native city's breathtaking vistas and rich history to create her paintings. Scened including Turkish baths, Ottoman mosques, and the magnificent Bosphorus joining Europe and Asia come to life on her canvasses.
Ms. Ciddi studied and worked with Turkey's premier artists at the Istanbul State Fine Arts Academy and elsewhere before joining their ranks with her first exhibition of her work in 1996. Her art has been displayed in numerous galleries and cultural centers across Turkey and the United States, including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (2021), Anne Marie Sculpture Garden’s “Folksy” (Summer 2019) exhibit, the TAG Gallery’s “Postcards from the Ledge” (May 2018), Mosaic Gallery’s “Contempo” exhibition (July 2018), and "Today's Masters" series displayed as part of the 2010 Istanbul European Cultural Capital celebrations. Commissioned works depicting the travels of 17th century Ottoman explorer Evliya Celebi and the reign of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent played feature roles in documentaries on Turkish public television. International audiences learn about the art of miniature as well as Ottoman history from her works printed in many books (see Smithsonian publication titled "Journey: An Illustrated History of Travel", Dorling Kindersley, 2017). She has given multiple seminars and taught classes in Turkish and English on classic and modern miniature art.
She joined the Torpedo Factory as a resident artist in 2017.
Significant Highlights:
Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) “Made in VA 2022” Exhibition: “Old Town Alexandria in the Fall” selected from
among 532 applications-only 31 accepted. Will be open to the public for viewing between October 8, 2022-February 5, 2023
Corcoran Women’s Committee Fine Arts Grant Recipient (2022): Washington D.C. “An Anatomical Miniature Project” & award
acceptance speech at Chevy Chase Club, September 20, 2022
Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, Chair’s Reception (2022)
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (2020): Artist Relief Fellowship Program-Grant Recipient ($5000) & follow-on exhibit at Richmond
International Airport: July, 2021-February 2022)
Ms. Ciddi studied and worked with Turkey's premier artists at the Istanbul State Fine Arts Academy and elsewhere before joining their ranks with her first exhibition of her work in 1996. Her art has been displayed in numerous galleries and cultural centers across Turkey and the United States, including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (2021), Anne Marie Sculpture Garden’s “Folksy” (Summer 2019) exhibit, the TAG Gallery’s “Postcards from the Ledge” (May 2018), Mosaic Gallery’s “Contempo” exhibition (July 2018), and "Today's Masters" series displayed as part of the 2010 Istanbul European Cultural Capital celebrations. Commissioned works depicting the travels of 17th century Ottoman explorer Evliya Celebi and the reign of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent played feature roles in documentaries on Turkish public television. International audiences learn about the art of miniature as well as Ottoman history from her works printed in many books (see Smithsonian publication titled "Journey: An Illustrated History of Travel", Dorling Kindersley, 2017). She has given multiple seminars and taught classes in Turkish and English on classic and modern miniature art.
She joined the Torpedo Factory as a resident artist in 2017.
Significant Highlights:
Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) “Made in VA 2022” Exhibition: “Old Town Alexandria in the Fall” selected from
among 532 applications-only 31 accepted. Will be open to the public for viewing between October 8, 2022-February 5, 2023
Corcoran Women’s Committee Fine Arts Grant Recipient (2022): Washington D.C. “An Anatomical Miniature Project” & award
acceptance speech at Chevy Chase Club, September 20, 2022
Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, Chair’s Reception (2022)
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (2020): Artist Relief Fellowship Program-Grant Recipient ($5000) & follow-on exhibit at Richmond
International Airport: July, 2021-February 2022)