Bedri Baykam, born in Ankara in 1957, is an artist active in the field of contemporary art. His interest in art began at the age of two, and by the time he was six, his works were included in international exhibitions. Baykam continued his education in Paris, studying economics at the Sorbonne University and acting at L’Actorat. He then moved to the United States, where he received training in painting and cinema at the California College of Arts and Crafts (now CCA) between 1980 and 1983.

Bedri Baykam began his artistic career in the 1980s and is considered one of the representatives of the Neo-Expressionist movement in Türkiye. He lived in the United States until 1987, during which time he participated in the graffiti movement in New York, produced short films and videos, and acted as an actor. After returning to Istanbul, Baykam continued his artistic production using diverse techniques and narrative forms, addressing political and erotic themes through multimedia exhibitions. His art spans a range of fields, from abstraction to figuration, and from performance art to installation.

One of Baykam’s works, “Ingres, Gérôme, Burası Benim Hamamım” (1987), is a spatial arrangement staged at the Haseki Sultan Hamam, designed by Mimar Sinan, as part of the 1st Istanbul Biennial. This installation, presented with water, scent, and music, is regarded as a response to the orientalist gaze. The work is part of the Oya–Bülent Eczacıbaşı Collection and has been on long-term loan to the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art.

Since 1986, Baykam has initiated his Photo-Painting series, combining photography with painting. Notable works in this series include “İç Manzaralar II” (1988), “27 Mayıs” (1990), and “Kuvay-ı Milliye” (1994). Since 2007, his 4D (four-dimensional) works have extended his series of digital and painted transparent layers.

To date, Bedri Baykam has held 151 solo exhibitions, half of them internationally, presenting his works in cities such as Paris, New York, Berlin, San Francisco, Havana, Rome, and Sydney. His works have been exhibited at institutions including the Berlin Academie der Künste, the Barcelona Picasso Museum, the Roland-Garros Museum, the Stedelijk Schiedam, the Museum der Moderne Salzburg, the Bahrain National Museum, and the Pinacothèque de Paris. He has also collaborated with galleries such as Daniel Templon (Paris), Stephen Wirtz (San Francisco), Galeri Baraz (Istanbul), The Proposition (New York), and Opera Gallery (London).

Bedri Baykam founded the Turkish National Committee of the International Association of Art (IAA/AIAP), affiliated with UNESCO, and served as its president for ten terms. In 2015, he was elected President of the World Congress of the IAA, a position he held for seven and a half years, stepping down in 2023 when he handed over the role to South Korean artist Kwang Soo Lee. In the same year, he was awarded the title of Honorary President of the International Association of Art. The International Art Day, celebrated on 15 April, was proposed by Bedri Baykam and adopted in Mexico in 2011; it was officially recognized by UNESCO as an international day in 2019.

Baykam has written articles for publications including Hürriyet Gösteri, Tempo, Akşam, Aydınlık, OdaTV, and Genç Sanat, and currently writes a column for Cumhuriyet Newspaper. To date, he has authored 32 books and two feature-length screenplays, and 61 catalogues and eight books have been published about him. He has also served as a member of the CHP Party Council. In 2006, he founded Piramid Sanat, an art space in Istanbul.

The artist is married to journalist and writer Sibel Baykam, and they have one son, Suphi Baykam (born 1999). He continues his artistic work in Istanbul. He carried out printmaking projects at the Çamlıca Art House in 1986 and 1993. He has also curated numerous exhibitions and made interdisciplinary contributions to the contemporary art scene.