I’m Elcin Marasli Ball, a visual artist based in Leiden. I create moments of real-time uncertainty. My paintings resist easy reading - you might wonder: is this anxious or calm, smiling or grimacing? That instability is not a flaw, but an invitation to reflect in the present.
My work exists in the tension between appearance and emotion, grandiosity and deception. Psychologically charged and sometimes playful, the images operate like staged situations in which meaning is never fully resolved. They question their own rules while inviting viewers into an active negotiation of perception.
In this way, the work creates a temporary, shared space - one that is relational and participatory rather than purely aesthetic.
I work under the name F2r - pronounced fikir (“idea” in Turkish). Before launching F2r Atölye, I worked in tech for over a decade. Living in Türkiye, the United States, Poland, and the Netherlands informs my interdisciplinary approach.
My work exists in the tension between appearance and emotion, grandiosity and deception. Psychologically charged and sometimes playful, the images operate like staged situations in which meaning is never fully resolved. They question their own rules while inviting viewers into an active negotiation of perception.
In this way, the work creates a temporary, shared space - one that is relational and participatory rather than purely aesthetic.
I work under the name F2r - pronounced fikir (“idea” in Turkish). Before launching F2r Atölye, I worked in tech for over a decade. Living in Türkiye, the United States, Poland, and the Netherlands informs my interdisciplinary approach.
Education
2017 – Ph.D., Philosophy – Graduate School for Social Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
2013 – M.A., Visual and Critical Studies – School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL, USA
2011 – B.F.A., Studio and Graphic Arts – School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA
Latest Events
2026 - 2027 – Tower of Babel, Group Exhibition, Stedelijk Museum Breda and Bijbels Museum, NL
2026 – Feel The Love, Group Exhibition, Cat Eye Creative, Decatur, GA, USA
2017 – Ph.D., Philosophy – Graduate School for Social Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
2013 – M.A., Visual and Critical Studies – School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL, USA
2011 – B.F.A., Studio and Graphic Arts – School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA
Latest Events
2026 - 2027 – Tower of Babel, Group Exhibition, Stedelijk Museum Breda and Bijbels Museum, NL
2026 – Feel The Love, Group Exhibition, Cat Eye Creative, Decatur, GA, USA
Visit the Archive for a selection of earlier works from 2007–2017.
An extended list of exhibitions and publications is available for download below.
An extended list of exhibitions and publications is available for download below.
| marasliball_artist_cv_2026_online.pdf |