Gökhan Kizilbuga is an artist whose work is infused with nostalgia, melancholy, and politics, with a radically contemporary edge. Born in Sledderlo, Genk, to Kurdish guest worker parents, his art is shaped by his complex background and the experience of generational migration. His Kurdish heritage and upbringing in Belgium create an ongoing tension between connection and displacement, which drives his creative process.
Kizilbuga studied Drama Directing/Writing at the Ritcs School of Arts in Brussels, where he earned both his Master's and Bachelor's degrees. He further expanded his artistic horizon with studies in Teatro em Comunidades, Performance Art, and Clinica Performativa at the Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro Escola de Teatro. His multidisciplinary practice, which combines theater, visual art, and performance, explores themes such as migration, identity, and discrimination. His work confronts social inequality, challenges stereotypes, and provides space for reclaiming personal narratives. It reflects the search for "home" and the ongoing negotiation between different cultural identities. His art is not a pursuit of comfort but a powerful call for change and reflection, echoing the experiences of migrants and their generations.
credits pictures: Boumediene Belchamir, Emine Cerkinaj & Karolina Maruszak
