Ayten Öğütcü
The human spirit is a force that enlivens the body and governs it. According to Aristotle, the soul is a formal entity; it is the form of the body; it is the "first actuality of an organic natural body." The body is the material created by the soul. The soul and the body are together/whole. I create with the motivation to merge the spirit, the subject behind the uniformed faces that societal norms and patterns distance from emotions and concerns, with the uniqueness of artistic expression, incorporating their dreams, anxieties, and striving for genuine thoughts. Within the perception of three-dimensional form, I seek the mischievous, emotional, hurt, and aggressive human, exploring the relationship-contradiction between the subject and the facade, seeking possibilities through form and material. Building on the notion that what changes remains unchanged at its core, within the possibilities of artistic imagery, the drive to see and reflect not only my own unchanging spiritual self but also the viewer's serves as the starting point of my works.
Ayten Öğütçü, born in Bulgaria, completed her education at Izmir Anatolian Fine Arts High School. She graduated from Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Stage Arts in 2000. In 2005, she completed her master's degree in Stage Arts Main Branch at Dokuz Eylül University Institute of Social Sciences. In 2007, she started her doctoral program in the same department. Since 2004, she has been working as a Lecturer in the Department of Stage Design at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Fine Arts.
In her works, she focuses on puppet theater and the animate quality of puppet forms by imbuing grotesque and stylized interpretations to all entities, emphasizing theatrical expression through puppet/sculpture forms.
In addition to her solo exhibitions, she has participated in group exhibitions both domestically and internationally. She has designed and realized puppet creations for various institutions, including State Theaters, City Theaters, and TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Corporation). She has also undertaken set design, costume design, puppet design, and realization for the production company "Welovestories" in London, Dodona Puppet Theater in Kosovo/Prishtina, two theater plays sponsored by Goethe Institut and Prishtina Municipality, and the upcoming Doha Puppet Theater in Qatar as an invited artist by the Ministry of Culture.
She has also participated as a participant, observer, or staff member in numerous international puppet and theater festivals.
