Erkman began studying art in Istanbul in 1969, and was initially trained as a classical sculptor, although she was far more interested in contemporary artists of the period, particulary the post object and minimalists in the US at that time.
As a consequence of these influences and coupled with a desire to work with found spaces and collaboratively her practice has evolved. Instead of producing transportable and hence saleable objects, the artist often creates site-specific interventions that only last for a short period of time. Erkman often manipulates the pre-existing she finds in exhibition spaces and underscores them by adding or altering a few select elements.
For example in 2004 she mounted lamps onto the cleaning mechanism of the roof of the Vienna Secession, transforming the glass ceiling into a playful arena of constantly changing squares of color. The chief feature of works like these lies in visualizing the exhibition situation and ultimately art's relationship to people. The works seldom, however, reveal their humanist component at first glance. They are above all offers made to the viewer: "I deliberately try to veil the work’s core so that people have to try a little harder to get to it."
