Emre Karaoglu, a contemporary figurative artist from Turkey now based in New Orleans, uses oil, pastel & charcoal portraits to capture the profound layers of human experience within everyday life.

Emre's art practice positions him as both an observer and archivist of modern culture, bearing witness to the lives and emotions of his subjects. For Emre, painting the human form offers a doorway into exploring the depth and complexity of the struggles woven into daily existence.

Emre was born in 1992 in Istanbul, Turkey. In 2015,  Emre studied at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in Hungary. Emre graduated in 2016 from Marmara University in Econometrics. He studied at Marmara University, Faculty of Fine Arts between 2016 and 2020 in Turkey. He moved to New Orleans, U.S. from Istanbul, Turkey in 2021.

Emre’s painting was selected for the Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition 2024, at the Mall Galleries, London, UK. Three of Emre’s artworks are in the permanent ‘How You Doin’, New Orleans?’ & "Art of the Black Experience" collection of the City of New Orleans. His artworks were selected as a part of "the State of the Art: Record Zine Project" at the LSU Museum of Art, Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge in 2022.  His paintings were selected for the 16th and 17th Annual Louisiana Fine Arts Showcase at the President's residence at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond in 2023 and 2024. Emre’s artworks were selected for the New Orleans Art Association (NOAA) 2023 and 2024 National Show and received the Merit Award

Recent solo shows include “Witness”, Second Story Gallery, New Orleans Healing Center, and “Faces Around Us” 2023, Sullivan Gallery, New Orleans. Emre is the New Orleans Photo Alliance Exhibition Chair and Board Member. He belongs to the artist collective, “Renegade” and “Second Story Gallery,” in New Orleans. Since Emre immigrated to New Orleans, he has participated in group exhibitions at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Ashé Cultural Arts Center, the LSU Museum of Art, the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts, Southeastern Louisiana University, Gryder Gallery, LeMieux Galleries, Gallery Huracan, and Shreveport Artspace. In Turkey, Emre's artworks have been selected for World Art Day with UNESCO, the Exhibition for Turkish National Anthem CKSM, Turkish Republic Day Akdeniz University, and International Women’s Day Dokumapark MSG.