Pelin Kirca

Several people in a room with a black-and-white checkered floor, one person standing on two large eyeball objects, others wearing black-and-white patterned clothing standing near a large door.

The Crowd, 2023 © Pelin Kirca

Black-and-white illustration of a complex mechanical device with multiple gears and two people wearing aprons working on the machine.

Microscripts, 2020 © Pelin Kirca

Two older men in dark clothing walk past a table where a person with black hair is seated, in front of a wall with red and blue floral patterns.

One moonless night, 2016 © Pelin Kirca

Black-and-white line drawing of a young woman in a dress floating in front of a background of large leaves, flowers, a door, and two chairs.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, 2015 © Pelin Kirca

An elderly person with white hair and a black dress stands on a large red flower carrying a donkey tied with ropes on their back.

In Bloom, 2015 © Pelin Kirca

Key Facts

Nationality: Turkish
Area: Animation
Place of residence: Turkey
Recommending Institution: ASIFA Austria / MuseumsQuartier Wien
Period: October 2026
Links: Instagram: pelin_kirca

Pelin Kırca studied Graphic Design at Bilkent University, Ankara (2000–2004), and received her MFA in Design from the School of Visual Arts, New York (2005–2007).

In 2016, she attended Werner Herzog’s Rogue Film School in Munich.

Her first solo exhibition, “In Bloom”, was presented at Dirimart in Istanbul (2015), featuring drawings from her first artist book edition of the same title, published by Norgunk Publishing.

The publication marked the beginning of an ongoing collaboration with Norgunk, which continued with subsequent publications featuring her illustrations for Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” (2015) and “Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Saw There” (2019), as well as the artist book edition “Sivas” (2018).

Her animated films have been screened at international film festivals, including Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Festival du Court Métrage de Clermont-Ferrand, Vienna Shorts, Encounters Film Festival, London International Animation Film Festival, and Chicago Underground Film Festival. In 2018, “One Moonless Night” was invited by Istanbul Modern to take part in the Artists’ Film International program initiated by Whitechapel Gallery.

Her recent work includes the solo exhibition “The Crowd” at Galeri Nev in Ankara (2023), the exclusive release of her animated short film “The Crowd” on MUBI (2025), and her participation in the 7th Mardin Biennial (2026). Kırca lives and works in Ankara.

Project info

During my residency at MuseumsQuartier in Vienna, I will begin developing a new animated film in response to the work of Arnold Schoenberg. The film will take shape through one of his compositions.

My work is rooted in drawing and unfolds through animation, in dialogue with literature and music. Rather than illustrating a story, I create surreal visual narratives where memory, imagination, and sound intertwine. My films unfold through associations and fragments rather than conventional narratives, embracing uncertainty and leaving space for multiple interpretations

The residency will be a time to observe, draw, and wander. The Arnold Schönberg Center, Vienna's museums, and the city itself will shape the work from its earliest stages. I imagine the film emerging gradually from these experiences, as Schoenberg's music and Vienna quietly find their way into it.