Umut Azad Akkel's work focuses on vulnerabilities and dysfunctionalities in the grey zones of private and public relationships and spaces. He combines objects, drawings/collages, and video performances to develop participatory installations for both public and indoor spaces. He characterises the forms of his works through industrial, cold structures that veil individual and collective vulnerabilities, which quietly appear through the fissures of these structures. These forms serve as self-portraits and reflections of his struggle against the societal glorification of masculinity and hyper-functionality. His concepts are rooted in personal experiences and extend into broader collective narratives.

Born in Turkey, Akkel lived in Istanbul from 2010 to 2015 before moving to Berlin, where he has worked between the two cities since. He holds a BA+MA in Fine Arts from UdK Berlin and a BA in Product Design from Istanbul Kadir Has University. Alongside his studio practice, he organizes events on cultural and political identity, including Fava Connection, Iran 101, and Korean Nomad