In this artwork, I started out with the idea that the four-leaf clover symbolizes luck. In the center of this stylized portrait, a four-leaf clover takes form, with one leaf falling as a hand reaches to pluck it. I aimed to depict the futile efforts of someone seeking luck externally. With this piece, I wanted to express the message that "luck is actually within the individual, we are the luck."

Lucky

Are things ever truly as good or as bad as they seem? It depends on how you see them! In her first collaboration with Orangehare titled “Divine Gaze,” Istanbul-based artist Busra Ozen delves into her Anatolian heritage to present 4 works of art that explore the limits (and limitations) of how humans perceive our experiences. Through Busra’s signature blend of symbolism and vibrant colors, each NFT offers a different viewpoint on the nature of spirituality, femininity, and even global calamity. Are we the viewer or the ones being viewed? Does it matter? As external forces are unveiled as illusions, all boundaries melt away, revealing only the delicate interplay between destiny and personal empowerment. All things intimate and mighty in the eye of the beholder. 

OrangeHare x Büşra Özen

In this artwork, I delve into the theme of alienation from the idea of home. To symbolize this alienation, I chose to depict a mermaid ﬁgure. This mermaid, distant from her natural habitat, sits atop a chest symbolizing her past values. The photo frames on the wall, empty, conveying a lack of belonging. Her long hair symbolizes her prolonged captivity in this space. She can't easily leave through the door because there's ﬁre in front, symbolizing her fears. She feels trapped.

The home feels so strange, like a movie set with Lego walls, a fake tree, and a pretend moon. Despite feeling like she doesn't belong but her belly is swollen with new hopes.

Home

In this artwork, a woman in Anatolia takes a selﬁe in a traditional mirror known as the "dowry mirror" a mirror that used to be part of a bride's dowry in Anatolian culture. I chose this object to depict the reﬂection of the woman through the lens of traditions and a patriarchal perspective. The phone in the woman's hand signiﬁes technology and our present- day world. While taking a selﬁe, her hair transforms into silhouettes of oppressive male ﬁgures, whispering loudly into her ears. These whispers symbolize the gender and societal pressures that women face in the modern world.

Mirror Selfie

Divine Gaze by Busra Ozen

Etherscan

I focused on the overwhelming sense of helplessness resulting from a series of destructive events occurring consecutively worldwide. The pupil of the eye, filled with tears of blood, is wide open in shock. Symbolic depictions of these unfortunate events are placed in the four corners of the pupil: Climate crises, earthquakes, wildfires, food shortages, and ocean pollution.

Within the pupil, there is a rabbit running tirelessly. This rabbit seems as if it wants to escape but remains stuck in the same place, much like being trapped in an infinite "rabbit hole" that deepens and complicates.

Rabbit Hole

Büşra Özen, born in 1995 in Turkey, is a passionate graphic designer with a background in ﬁne arts. She completed her undergraduate education at Anadolu University, one of the ﬁnest arts faculties in the country, majoring in graphic arts. After graduating, she embarked on her professional journey as an art director at a renowned post-production company in İstanbul, where she specialized in character and environment design for a period of two years.

Following this experience, she assumed the role of art department manager at an advertising agency in Istanbul, dedicating three years to working with numerous global brands. Currently, she continues her career in the Marketing department of a brokerage ﬁrm, based in Istanbul. Illustration has always been her passion, serving as her personal haven where she can escape the rules of graphic design or brand guidelines, producing solely for herself.

In the moments between her demanding work schedule, she ﬁnds solace in her personal space, an area where she can indulge in playing games during evenings or weekends. Her illustrations, therefore, serve as a reﬂection of her inner world and ideas. They provide a sense of freedom, making her feel true to herself.

@busozen__
http://www.behance.net/busracaglar