CREATOR SERIES #1 | ÜMİT SURAL
- Tolga Rahmalaroglu
- Jun 22
- 4 min read
In celebration of power of creativity, this chapter of DIECI DITA's Creator Series welcomes a multidisciplinary artist: Ümit Sural.
One might easily tell that in Ümit Sural's world, boundaries are not essentially a case: Ümit's creation can easily start in a painting, then switch into photography; while sculpture, acting, filmmaking, writing and beyond keep intertwining with each other, fueling his creative power in a totally surrounding fashion.
Ümit Sural, living in-between Paris and Barcelona nowadays, was born in Istanbul in 1984. His native culture's struggles became a source of inspiration to him. Combining that inspiration with a contemplation of liberty and freedom of speech; Ümit's artistic expression is formed under a one-of-a-kind persona: As his biography mentions, human rights, the fight against racism, religious indoctrination and intolerance of any kind have emerged as the primary emphasis throughout his works. When it comes to aesthetics, Ümit is quite clear about his artistic vision, as "Sometimes the crooked one looks more right." he says.
The artist had several solo and group exhibitions since presenting his work in 2021, and they were experienced in various spaces such as Soho House Barcelona, Mrs. Toolip Gallery, BF4 Gallery, and many more.
As month of June remarks the theme of pride for DIECI DITA; Creator Series comes back in conversation with a multidisciplinary visionary who also seeks to interpret the concept of freedom. Enjoy our interview with Ümit Sural!
DIECI DITA: What drives you to create?
ÜMİT SURAL: Sometimes I just want to scream: “Why are we like this?”
Even when a question has no answer, voicing it out loud can be an act of movement for me.
I believe in art’s potential to create change, but I don’t assign myself a mission when I begin. Once something is finished and starts taking up space in the world, maybe that’s when change begins quietly, without me needing to push it.
DIECI DITA: Do you have a favorite among the works you’ve created?
ÜMİT SURAL: Switching between disciplines is one of the most important tools in my process. Maybe that’s why I can’t really see any single work as a “favorite.” But I place the time I spent acting in a different category. Back then, my relationship with art was much more direct it was embodied. These days, I feel more connected to the Muscle Memories series. It focuses on how the body learns and forgets, on physical memory, and how repetition changes us. Compared to my other works, this one carries a bit more political weight. It’s constantly shifting, unfinished and because of that, it still feels alive to me.
DIECI DITA: How do you deal with creative blocks?
ÜMİT SURAL: I change disciplines. Whatever form is needed at that moment visual, performative, written , I go there. I don’t see blockage as a problem. It’s just part of the process. If a piece stops moving, it’s either already done or asking to be left fallow for a while. Not everything is about producing.
DIECI DITA: What inspires you the most?
ÜMİT SURAL: Trying to understand human psychology and the relationship between humans and systems. The balance between id, ego, and superego is where most of my questions start. How do systems shape us, suppress us, transform us? Noticing the blind spots within what society calls “right” doesn’t exactly inspire me it triggers something. And that trigger becomes movement.
DIECI DITA: Do you have a muse? If so, and if it’s not too personal, can you tell us about it?
ÜMİT SURAL: There’s no fairy involved. But there are small crisis moments. A system collapses. Someone says something absurd. Or a well worn phrase suddenly opens up a completely new meaning. Those moments. Inspiration, for me, doesn’t usually arrive as an aesthetic sensation. It comes as a kind of critical awareness born out of imbalance, inequality, friction.
DIECI DITA: How would you describe your artistic identity? Does it carry the core of your personal history, or does it lean more toward imagination?
ÜMİT SURAL: It’s rooted in the personal, but its direction is open. I feed off my own past, but instead of telling it as it was, I prefer to transform it. I don’t see imagination as an escape. For me, it’s a way to build a new form of memory. Not to avoid reality, but to find another way into it.
DIECI DITA: What’s your definition of perfection in art?
ÜMİT SURAL: Perfection doesn’t really exist for me. As long as change continues, whatever is labeled “perfect” (if that even exists) quickly becomes irrelevant. At that point, the idea of perfection starts to feel almost schizophrenic. Sometimes a flaw is what makes a work strongest. And yes sometimes the crooked one looks more right. For me, uniqueness is much more meaningful. The way a work creates coherence between its story, process, method, and outcome. Something that can’t be replaced. It’s not about technique it’s about intention.
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