Deniz Sözen

Deniz Sözen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art History, Curating and Visual Studies at the University of Birmingham. Her research focuses on contemporary art, decolonial theories, and diasporic practices. She teaches modules such as 'Global Art,' 'Islamic Aesthetics in Art,' and 'Political Art,' emphasizing decolonial methodologies and non-hegemonic art histories.

Education:

• PhD in Visual Arts (Practice-Based), University of Westminster (2019)
• MFA, Goldsmiths, University of London
• Mag a art (Fine Art Diploma), University of Applied Arts, Vienna

Her work explores hybridity, creolisation, and decolonial archives. Recent projects include the Maker Unknown digital archive (2022) and exhibitions like Soundscapes of Intersectional Encounters (2024). She has held residencies globally and is a former Higher Education Academy Associate Fellow.

Awards:

• 2014 Marianne.von.Willemer.Prize (Digital Media)
• CREAM Research Scholarship (2014–2017)
• Nominated for 2019 BAFTSS Best Practice Awards

Deniz supervises PhDs on Afro-Brazilian identities and Lebanese women artists. She organizes conferences like Imperial Encounters (2023) and lectures internationally on art, migration, and postcolonial theory.