CV GULSEN ÖZER

Gülsen Özer is an interdisciplinary artist working across both performance and visual art. Her work is grounded in dynamic collaborative processes that often involve community engagement. Özer uses the power of live performance and object & installation design, to adroitly explore both the political and the poetic and her allegorical story telling connects people through mutual experience and identification. 

Education:
Monash University - Visual Culture, Honours - 2004    
Monash University - Bachelor of Performing Arts. Majors: Visual Culture and Theatre Studies. Minor: Dance – 2002

Solo Works/Exhibitions:
2020 - Resounding, socially engaged sound artwork, Cardinia Shire Council, Melbourne, Australia. 
2020 - Split rock, Site-specific video artwork, Cardinia Cultural Centre, Melbourne, Australia. (Collaboration with Vanessa White)
2018 - Kids these days, 18sqm billboard style vinyl digital print temporary public artwork, The Memorial Hall (The Memo), Yarra Ranges Shire, Healesville, Australia. 
2018 – Surrealesville, 30sqm Vinyl digital print, youth engaged temporary public artwork Yarra Ranges Shire, The Memo, Main Street Healesville, Australia.
2017 - This is where it happened (Lilydale), temporary public art work, performance, sound and video installation, ‘Melba Park’, Lilydale, Australia.

Selected Group Works/Exhibitions:
2020 - Modern Body (Site-specific performance) for 'Dancing Place Corhanwarrabul', Mount Dandenong, Victoria, Australia. 
2018 - Calling it, participatory sculpture and sound work Yarra Ranges Regional Museum, exhibition 'Force of Nature', Melbourne Australia. 
2018 - May all your friends be artists, site-specific performance work, Burrinja Cultural Centres, Melbourne, Australia.
2017 - You are here, Duet and Virtual Dance Class, three participatory installations incl. neon, sound and sculpture, motion sensor technology, single channel interactive screen and 360 video. Yarra Ranges Regional Museum exhibition ‘Dance X’, Melbourne, Australia.  
2016 - Frame-Work, site-specific performance and installation artwork ‘Circling the Brink – Convergence 1’ presented on the grounds of TarraWarra Museum of Art, TarraWarra, Australia. 
2016 - This is where it happened (Healesville), Site-specific public performance and sound artwork ‘Dance Here’ program, Yarra Ranges Council, Healesville, Australia
2014 - If you can dream it, Cross-cultural, inter-generational socially engaged performance HillsceneLIVE #1’, Burrinja Cultural Centre, Melbourne, Victoria. 
2013 – Dynamic, dance work, choreography Deborah Hay, adaptation, Gulsen Ozer ‘GORUN Festival’, CATI dans, Istanbul, Turkey.

Residencies:
2019 - Present Tense Performance Project and Residency Cardinia Shire, Koo Wee Rup Community Centre, Melbourne, Australia
2017 - Dancehouse International: Creative meeting points: Melbourne x Hong Kong residency, Melbourne and Hong Kong.
2016 - Dancehouse/US Residency exchange with Yanira Castro, Melbourne, Australia.
2015 - The Motivate Project studio residency Burrinja Cultural Centre, Melbourne, Australia.
2013 - Solo Performance Commissioning Project residency, Findhorn, Scotland.
2010-2011 - Artist in residence, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.

Grants & Special Commissions:
Creative Recovery Project, Resounding, special commission, in partnership with Creative Recovery Network Australia, Cardinia Shire Council, Lifeline Australia, 2020.
COVID-19 Artist response grant, for Split Rock, Cardinia Council, 2020.    
Creative Suburbs residency project funding for Present Tense, in partnership with Cardinia Council. Creative Victoria, 2019.
Temporary participatory public art commission It Takes a Town, Youth Services and Community Development, Yarra Ranges Council, 2018.
Grants for Community: Arts and Heritage project funding for This is where it happened, Yarra Ranges Council, 2017.
Small Grant Award, Yarra Ranges Council, 2016, 2017 & 2018.
‘Your Collection’ special project commission, Girls on Boys, Dancehouse, Melbourne, 2008.
Artist Professional Development funding, Australia Council for the Arts Dance Board, 2007.
Cross art form project funding for Iris, Australia Council for the Arts, 2006.

Nominations, Prizes:
Australian Dance Award nomination, Curation of Girls on Boys performance program, Dancehouse, Melbourne, 2009.
Small Works Prize and solo exhibition offer at Arts Mildura for 2020/21 following the presentation of Calling it in their 2019 Small Works Exhibition.

Affiliations & Memberships:
National Association of Visual Arts since 2018. 
Member of Arts and Culture Reference Group, Cardinia Shire Council since 2016.
Served on the Arts Victoria Development Advisory panel, 2008.
Participated in MAPS (Managing and Producing Services) Arts Victoria and Australia Council funded program 2009-2011. 

Publications:
The Partiality of Perspective, Phillipa Rothfield, Realtime #86.
John Petersen reports on his role as Community Heritage Officer, John Petersen, The Federation of Australian Historical Societies #44




Extended and more detailed project history:
 
SUMMARY
Having worked extensively in the arts and community development sectors and withstanding a long history of collaboration in her arts practice, Özer is committed to the intrinsic and cultural value of the arts, as both a powerful process of deep inquiry and learning and as a social development tool.
 
PROJECT HISTORY

2020
  • Commissioned to develop a new site specific choreographic work for 'Dancing Place Corhanwarrabul' curated by Gretel Taylor for place based performance at Mount Dandenong (Corhanwarrabul), Victoria, with support from Yarra Ranges Council Arts and Heritage  funding streams and in collaboration with Aboriginal elders Murrundindi (Gary Hunter) and Mandy Nicholson and other local place based dance artists.
  • Contracted to work as a Creative Recovery Facilitator to research, design and deliver a new creative project designed to support community recovery following the bushfires of February and March 2019 in the Bunyip State Park, Walhalla and South Yinnar areas in Victoria. This program is a partnership between the Creative Recovery Network and Baw Baw, Cardinia and Latrobe City Councils, with support from Lifeline Gippsland.

​2019
  • Creative development of new solo autobiographical text based work 'Just like you' in partnership with HillsceneLIVE Festival.
  • Commissioned as a choreographer and facilitator to create a contemporary dance work with seniors from the Cardinia Shire region. Working in collaboration with the University of the Third Age and Cardinia Shire Council Art and Culture team. Concluding with a live public performance in October 2019.
  • Delivered two large scale public art, visual art works to the township of Healesville, Victoria, Australia for the It Takes A Town' project commissioned by Yarra Ranges Council. Artworks included; 'Surrealesville' a mural style, socially engaged, pictorial artwork created in collaboration with Artist Andrea Innocent and a Healesville youth cohort, (size 30sqm) and 'Kids these days' a 18sqm billboard style conceptual text based artwork, also created with youth .
  • Part time community development support worker (contract) with Yarra Ranges Council; working in the planning and delivery of community programs and public art development and maintenance.

2018
  • Commissioned to create a site-specific performance work for Burrinja Cultural Centres 20th Birthday Celebration.
  • Worked as an outside eye for Dani-Ela Kayler's new work 'Desquamate' ahead of presentation a HillsceeneLIVE Festival 2018.
  • Contracted to plan, facilitate and deliver youth focused, socially engaged, temporary public art project for the 'It Takes A Town' project commissioned by Yarra Ranges Council, Healseville, Victoria (July 2018-June 2019).
  • Commissioned to create 'Calling it' a participatory sculpture and sound work for 'Force of Nature'; an exhibition curated by Gretel Taylor and presented at Yarra Ranges Regional Museum, Vicotria (exhibition Sept-Oct)
  • Commissioned to create site-specific contemporary dance work 'It's all about the sunshine' for 'Circling the Brink', PAVE Festival, Emerald, Victoria (April)
  • Employed as sessional dance teacher for Aus Dance Australia's 'Big Dance' project; teaching choreography by Francis Rings and Craig Barry to all ages and abitities over 30 workshops in the Yarra Ranges Region (March-April).

2017
  • Comissioned to develop creative arts and heriatage project 'This is where it happened' for new Lillydale, Victoria site 
  • Comissioned to co-create a participatory dance installatiion for Yarra Ranges Museum called 'Dance X'
  • Selected to participate in CREATIVE MEETING POINTS: MELBOURNE x HONG KONG. DANCEHOUSE INTERNATIONAL working with international artists during residencies in both Melbourne and in Hong Kong. 
  • Awarded Dancehouse Summer Space Grant to develop 'In Real Life'

2016
  • Performed 'Frame-Work' for Yarra Ranges Council Community Grants Award Night (Dec)
  • Participated in an intensive one-week workshop for and with choreographers and lighting designers with Margie Medlin (Dec)
  • Participated in A 1-week immersive creative workshop for choreographers and sound designers led by Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey at Dancehouse, Melbourne (Nov/Dec)
  • Participated in Dancehouse/US Residency exchange with Yanira Castro in the development of her work 'CAST' (Nov)
  • Participated in Lucy Guerin Inc 2016 HOTBED #3 WITH FAY DRISCOLL (US)
  • Awarded two arts and culture grants from Yarra Ranges Council to develop 'DANCE X' and 'This is where it happened'
  • Presented a first development showing of 'In Real Life' at hillsceenLIVE festival with support from hillsceneLIVE, Yarra Ranges Council Small Grants Program and Yarra Art Rangers Network (YARN) Art Seed Pods Program (Oct/Nov)
  • Worked as outside eye for Dani-Ela Kayler's development of her new work 'Leave.', presented at hillscenLIVE (Oct/Nov)
  • Worked as outside eye for Viv Rogis new work 'The Whole Cake' presented at the Memo in Healesville, Victoria (Sept/Oct)
  • Facilitated, promoted and produced community engagement project ‘Funky Flashmob’ culminating in flashmob pop-up appearances in Belgrave, Upper Ferntree Gully and Sasafrass. (March/April)
  • Commissioned to create a new site-specific performance art work and installation art work titled ‘Frame-work’ for Circling the Brink – Convergence 1 at TarraWarra Museum of Art, Tarrawarra (Feb-April)
  • Commissioned to create a new site-specific dance work called ‘Entrances and Exits’ for Circling the Brink – Convergence 2 at Telopia Gardens for the PAVE Festival (April)
  • Commissioned by Yarra Ranges Council to develop a new site-specific work called ‘This is where it happened’ in Healesville for Dance Here program (March)
  • Emerald Sound Festival Co-Director, Dec 10th (2015) - Feb 28th including pop-up wine bar and 28days of music event programming in Emerald (Dec 2015-Feb 2016)
  • Youth Activities officer part-time contract Geelong City Council (Feb/March)
  • PAVE Festival Committee Chairperson, coordinator and special events producer (festival dates April 10-17)
  • Arts and Culture Sub-Editor and Writer for The Local Voice, Dandenong and Yarra Ranges print magazine (quarterly issues)
  • Dancehouse, Melbourne Summer Intensive dance workshop teacher (February)
  • Elected Cardinia Council Arts and Culture Reference Group Representative (ongoing)

2015
  • Dancer and collaborator in Vivienne Rogis’ new dance work ‘Pandora’s Box’ for hillsceneLIVE #3 experimental art festival, Monbulk
  • Recipient of a 4-week summer space at Burrinja Cultural Centre’s Theatre Space for the development of new work.
  • Dance Arc, youth dance company, summer school teacher
  • Program Coordinator for PAVE arts festival
  • Workshop Facilitator for ‘Circling the Brink’ site specific, multi-artform presentation platform
  • Commissioned to create an new site specific performance work titled ‘The Nature of Nature’ for Circling the Brink, Telopia Gardens, Emerald

2014
  • Independent participant in Asylum Seeker Recourse Centre drama group. Collaborating on performance project Square of Light for Light in Winter Festival 2014
  • Contracted sessional tutor at Upper Beaconsfield Community Centre for Special Needs Drama Group
  • Facilitator of community engagement arts project, ‘The Motivate Project’ during Project Studio residency at Burrinja Cultural Centre. Culminating performance presented at HilsceneLIVE #3 at Mount Burnett Observatory, Mount Burnett.
  • Independent participant in Diane Reid’s ‘Screen Dance’ PHD research group
  • Independent participant in Ben Speth ‘Iliad’ project development
  • Featured artist in the film 'Turn Your Fucking Head', produced by Independent Dance (UK), made be Director Becky Edmunds (UK) and recorded in Findhorn, Scotland, during Deborah Hay’s Solo Performance Commissioning Project
  • Facilitated and directed ‘If you can dream it’ cross-cultural, inter-generational community dance project. Performed at the Black Box Theatre, Burrinja Cultural Centre for HillsceneLIVE #1, Upwey
  • Program Coordinator for PAVE (Performing and Visual Arts Emerald) arts festival
  • Creator PAVE Festival roving performance ‘The amber of the moment’
  • Co-creator and performer in ‘The Nature of Nature’ for PAVE Festival curated program ‘Circling the Brink’
  • Choreographed first development of MONO-MYTH for HillsceneLIVE #2, Belgrave.

2013
  • Exhibition event manager for Oya Ozer’s KAFES (Cages) exhibition, Ortakoy Council, Ortakoy Council Arts Building, Istanbul
  • Dance training intensive Istanbul;  studied traditional Black Sea Turkish cultural dance with Olgun Kamil Tura
  • Presented and performed in solo dance performance “Dynamic” Choreographer Deborah Hay for GORUN Festival, CATI dans, Istanbul.
  •   Participated in a 6-month learning Exchange with Natalie Heller (Cyprus) in Istanbul, Turkey
  •   Collaborated with Asher Woodworth (US) in practice for Dynamic showing at CATI, Istanbul
  •   Collaborated with Laurence Nguyen in Paris in practice for Dynamic showing at CATI, Istanbul

2012
  • Participated in Deborah Hay’s (USA) Solo Performance Commissioning Project in Findhorn Scotland learning solo dance piece “Dynamic”
  • Part-time, Mentor Support Worker, Connect Mentor Program, Asylum Seekers Resource Centre (ASRC)
  • Part-time, volunteers Coordinator, Access 4 All Volunteer Program, CERES Community Environment Park
 
2011
  •  Created and performed short work ‘Little Cloud’ in partnership with musician and puppeteer Danny Knox, for Garden on Unearthly Delights, Kids Comedy Gala, Adelaide Fringe 2011
  • Contract, Coordinator, Crack Theatre Festival, Sub-festival of This is Not Art festival (TINA)
  • Student Alexander Technique in Performance at Melbourne’s F.M Alexander School, 2011
 
2010
  • Curator, Sansli, multi-media exhibition, Studio 202, Melbourne, 2010
  • Participated in Master Class and performance of Reptillian in Sydney with dance-theatre company Witness Relocation (NY) Nov 2010
  • Performed in Ringside by Mem Morrison Co. (UK) presented at the Arts House Melbourne 2010
  • Participated in Arts House Workshop exchange with Jochen Roller, (Berlin), Nov 2010
  • Created ‘Dancing with Heart’ project in collaboration with Gareth Hart, Victorian Collage of the Arts (Melbourne University) 2010
  • Resident, Solo Performance Resident at Victoria University, 2010
  • Participated in Lab with Sandra Parker, Dancehouse, 2010
 
2009
  • Received a High Commendation in Best Performance for Iris, Melbourne Fringe 2009
  • Facilitated as an assistant facilitator in dance/movement performance at with DVA Theatre Company; a theatre company for participants with a disability, 2009
  • Nominated for an Australian Dance Award nomination for curated project Girls on Boys 2009
  • Research assistant for dance publication written by Prof. Rachel Fencham, Monash University, 2009
  • Participated in Lab with Jane McKernan, Danchouse, 2009
  • Creation and performance of dance-theatre work Iris with Dani-Ela Kayler for 2009 Melbourne Fringe Festival
  • Choreographed Phoenix for Moving Works Dance Season at Theatre Works Melbourne 2009
  • Participated in Lab with Brian Lucas, Dancehouse, 2009
  • Supported by the MAPS (Managing and Producing Services) program funded by Arts Victoria and Australia Council 2009-2011
 
2008
  • Served on the Arts Victoria Development Advisory panel
  • Collaborated and performed with performance company Phunktional (at the Arts Incubator) to present anti-bullying dance-theatre show Who Stole the Sole? to schools in
  • Research assitant and project manager for South Project for Why Gather artists symposium, Asia Link Centre, Melbourne University
  • Part-time Project Officer contract, L2P Youth Mentoring Program and Before the Drive, CALD support Program, at Lead On, Ballarat
  •   Comissioned to create and perform ‘Mr Wolf’ in ‘180 Seconds in Heaven or Hel’l curated by Beck Reid for Next Wave Festival
  • Commissioned to curate self concieved ‘Girls on Boys’ a (Austrailan Dance Award nominated) short works dance program for Dancehouse, Melbourne  
  •   Participated in research and practice Lab with Ros Warby at Dancehouse
  •   Participated in Choreo Project Lab with Antje Pfunter (Berlin), Chunky Move
 
2007
  • Received Australia Council Dance Board grant for professional development and for further development of dance work ‘Iris’ with Choreographer, educator and mentor, Rebecca Hilton (Aust)
  • Performed in touring anti-bullying theatre show Bully Busters for Class Act Theatre, 2007
  • Part-time Child care worker for 2-3 year olds, kindergarten aged children as well as a special support worker to a child with autism, at Tree House Child Care, 2007 – 2008
 
2006
  • Received Australia Council Dance Board grant for development of cross art-form collaboration for stage performance ‘Iris’
  • Facilitated as a sessional tutor in dance/movement performance at Maroopna Secondary College, and Monash University
 
2005
  • Created and performed in highly commended dance-theatre work ‘insides/outside’ Melbourne Fringe Festival
  • Performed in ‘Mr Subordinate’, presented at the Melbourne Arts Centre, Director Deborah Leiser Moore (Aust.)
  • Performed in ‘D-Tales’ choreographed by Dani-Ela Kayler (Aust.) presented at the 3D Program at Dancehouse
  • Part-time curator visual arts exhibitions and assistant manager to the Gallery, Alafia Gallery, Melbourne, (2002-2005)
  • Contract, Facilitated as a sessional tutor in dance/movement performance at Monash University Melbourne
  • Facilitated as a sessional tutor in dance/movement performance at Heide Museum of Modern Art
 
2004
  • Part-time project manager and research assistant, ‘Local Knowledge Project’, Linden Centre for Contemporary Art
  • Completed Honours Thesis on ‘Drag King contemporary culture and practice in Sydney, Melbourne and the U.S.’ at Monash University, Melbourne
  • Developed and performed drag king characters ‘Mr G.O.’ and ‘Mr Wolf’ and performed at King Vic, Richmond.
 
2003
  • Developed, remounted and performed in ‘I really want to be here’ at Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne
  • Performed in’ Identity in Motion’, Conceived by Talya Chalef (South Africa) Melbourne Fringe Festival, Fed Square, Melbourne
  • Curated and created performance installation, ‘Good Boy’, Monash Museum of Modern Art, Clayton
  • Performed in ‘It’s only Rock and Roll but I like it,’ choreographed by Rebecca Hilton (Aust.) and presented at Monash University, Clayton
 
2002
  • Received Malthouse 3D Festival development award for devised dance theatre work, ‘I Really Want To Be Here’, Victoria University
  • Co-created and performed in dance-theatre work ‘I Really Want to be Here’ presenting the work in an independent season at Anna Lorenzetto design space, Johnston St Collingwood for Melbourne Fringe Festival
  • Completed Bachelor of Performing Arts with Majors in Theatre Studies, Visual Culture and a minor in Dance

EDUCATION
  • Artists Transformation School graduate, Auspicious Arts Incubator professional development course 2014.
  • Solo Artist Resident – Victoria University 2010 & 2011
  • Bachelor of Performing Arts, double major in Drama and Visual Culture (Hons.) and minor in Dance, Monash University, Melbourne 2004.