Cem Onat was born in 1982 in Ankara. He completed his BA degree at Başkent University Faculty of Fine Arts, at the Department of Graphic Design, and his MA degree from Yeditepe University, Institute of Social Sciences, at the Department of Plastic Arts. As an exchange student during the 2011-2012 academic year, he completed his research on Japanese Buddhism and Japanese Mandalas at Temple University in the USA. He took part in various solo and group exhibitions and also works as a faculty member and Deputy Head of the Department of Art and Culture Management at Yeditepe University.
Onat besides reflecting the traces of philosophical sources that he read during the artistic process, he adopts a style of action painting in which he records his body movement on the canvas. The traces of his action is depicted within an expressionist attitude throughout his paintings. The artist uses his own body as one of the main elements in his artworks and during the production process, aims to ‘become one’ with his paintings by adhering to a mystical pattern.
