Elif Nazlı Duran

Born in Istanbul, Elif Nazlı Duran graduated from the Department of Journalism at Istanbul University’s Faculty of Communication, as well as from the Department of Italian Language and Literature at the same university. She continued her artistic journey in the United States, studying painting at Georgia State University’s Fine Arts Department, before deepening her interdisciplinary practice in various studios upon returning to Turkey.

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Enriching her academic curiosity through social sciences, the artist completed a master’s degree in Sociology at Galatasaray University. After working for many years in different roles within the press industry, Duran never paused her artistic production; painting and ceramics have always remained a vital space of breathing and expression for her.

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At the heart of her practice are her signature “big-eyed girls,” silent witnesses to her inner world. These figures embody, at times, the fragility of childhood, at times the melancholy of adulthood, and at times the small miracles of everyday life. In her early period, Elif Nazlı Duran focused mainly on illustrative watercolor; she later turned toward collage, developing a more narrative and layered visual language through fragments of paper, old photographs, and textured surfaces. Today, she combines both techniques to create a distinctive artistic expression that moves along the boundary between reality and imagination.

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Having participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions both in Turkey and abroad, Elif Nazlı Duran also actively organizes exhibition projects. Based in Istanbul, she continues to expand her visual universe with each new creation.