Onur Kubilay is an Istanbul-based painter whose paintings primarily take a figurative and abstract expressionist approach. He combines oil paint with a range of other materials, including different types of pastels, acrylic paint and charcoal.

His painting process is often guided by the unconscious, spontaneity, impulse and instinct, with feeling taking precedence over meaning. A psychoanalytic perspective also shapes his artistic approach.

Kubilay’s paintings draw on his own life and experiences. In addition, they explore human existence, the inner world of the individual, and the emotional dimensions of interpersonal communication. They also reflect on the relationship between past, present and future, and the traces left by the past. Everyday life finds its way into his practice, while fear, anxiety, hopelessness and inner conflict emerge as defining themes throughout his work.