Abbas AKBARI / Iran (Lustre Firing)
Born in 1971 in Tehran, Abbas Akbari is an Iranian ceramic artist and a member of the International Ceramic Academy (IAC), holding a doctorate at Iran - Kashan University. He has won numerous awards and his works are featured in Iran, Argentina, Japan, Pakistan, Turkey, Croatia, Spain, Tunisia, France, Germany, the Dominican Republic, Nepal, the United States, Italy, and Austria.
With his reduction firing techniques, Akbari adds another dimension to ceramics, synthesizing the traditions of Western Asia and the West. The artist, who will share this unique experience with art lovers, is also preparing to appear as a panelist at the upcoming festival.
ALLEN R. RICHARDS / England (Luster Firing)
Allen Richards is a ceramic artist and instructor living in Bristol, United Kingdom. He completed both his Bachelor's and Master's programs in Ceramics at Wolverhampton University in 2013. A former student of international brick artist Gwen Heeney, Allen has honed his expertise over 12 years as a freelance artist and instructor in a local studio, creating both sculptural and functional lustre ceramics and porcelain works that are shaped and retouched on the wheel. His upcoming workshop at the festival will focus on his area of specialization, which is sgraffito lustre ceramics.
Filiz OZTURK / Turkiye (Creating Crackle Glaze in a Reducing Atmosphere)
Born in 1975, Istanbul, the artist completed her primary and secondary education in Istanbul. In 2004, she began her undergraduate studies in Traditional Turkish Arts, Ceramic Master Program, at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dokuz Eylül University, and completed her master's degree in the same department in 2011. She started her PhD program in Art and Design at the Institute of Fine Arts, Akdeniz University, in 2013 and completed it in 2016. In the same year, she began working as a faculty member at Ardahan University’s Faculty of Fine Arts. Between 2016 and 2024, she conducted research on pottery in the Eastern Anatolia Region. In 2023 and 2024, she chaired the "International Ardahan Anatolian Ceramics Symposium," the first art and ceramics symposium of the region. She has participated in many national and international events and held three solo exhibitions.
Rolando GIOVANNINI / Italy (Brush Decor)
Rolando Giovannini, who holds the Knight's Order of the Italian Republic, is a member of the ICA International Ceramic Academy in Geneva (2015) and the Journalists' Order in Rome (2010).
A former lecturer at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts and Milan Polytechnic University, his works are part of the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in the UK, MIAAO Torino and MIC International Ceramic Museum in Italy, Faenza, and the Barcelona Museum of Art in Spain (2012).
Giovannini has contributed to numerous designs, including the interior design of the Shin-Kobe Metro Station and the Shinkansen Central Station in Kobe, Japan. Since 2023, he has been a consultant for the Italian Design Museum at the Milan Triennale.
Ibrahim YILDIZBAS / Turkiye (Ceramic Totem Maker)
Born in 1992 in Istanbul, he completed his undergraduate education in the Department of Ceramics and Glass at Kocaeli University Faculty of Fine Arts in 2014. In 2017, he established “Abrahamm Creative Studio,” where he produces and shares his artistic works. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions and design weeks since 2010. Until 2020, his artistic practice followed the principles of the Bauhaus school. Starting in 2020, he adopted an approach that merges his quest for form with the post-1960s art philosophy, drawing inspiration from nature. He deepened his conceptual art perspective through his art education in post-1960s art, particularly under the guidance of Insel Inal. The artist enjoys narrating the creation processes of his works and believes that each piece has a fairy tale-like essence.
Ihsan AYATA / Turkiye (Raku Firing)
In 1996, Ayata moved to Çanakkale to study ceramic technology at Çanakkale 18 Mart University. During his education, he was advised by an academic to delve into ceramic art. Starting from the first months of his student life, he began working in a private workshop and also started creating his own designs.
In 2001, İhsan Ayata opened his first personal workshop, and since then, he has continued his work. In addition to producing traditional Çanakkale forms and interpretations of these forms, the artist also creates unique pieces using the reduction firing technique.
Irem CALISICI PALA / Turkiye (Luster Firing)
Bachelor’s, Master’s and The Proficiency in Arts degree all taken from Dokuz Eylul University Faculty and Institute of Fine Arts Traditional Turkish Arts (Ceramic) Departments. She is currently working as an Assistant Professor at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Traditional Turkish Arts (çini).
Her works in the field of traditional Turkish ceramics, called ‘Çini’, are in two areas, functional and artistic. Besides national and international group exhibitions, She has four solo exhibitions. She has published national and international articles and papers in her research field, Luster, çini, fritware, traditional Turkish ceramics, patterns and traditional pottery. He has a patent titled Applying Reductive Firing Luster Pigments Under Glaze, (underglaze luster- blusrem).
Jasmina PJECIC / Serbia (Printing Techniques on Ceramic Surfaces)
Jasmina Pjecic, born in 1965 in Belgrade, Serbia, is a member of the Serbian Association of Applied Artists (ULUPUDS). Since 2007, she has also been a member of the International Ceramic Academy (IAC) in Geneva, Switzerland. Pjecic works as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Applied Arts and Design.
She has held 15 solo exhibitions and participated in numerous international group exhibitions. Her works are permanently displayed in museums in countries such as China, Japan, Serbia, Taiwan, France, and Ireland.
Kadir ERTURK / Türkiye (Unglazed Black Ceramic Firing)
Kadir Erturk, born in 1980 in Çanakkale/Çan, graduated from the Department of Tile Decoration at Dumlupınar University in 2001. In 2008, he completed his studies in the Department of Ceramics at Afyon Kocatepe University Faculty of Fine Arts. He then pursued a Master's degree in Ceramics at the Institute of Social Sciences at Afyon Kocatepe University, followed by completing his Proficiency in Art (DFA) in Ceramic and Glass Design at the Institute of Fine Arts at Dokuz Eylül University.
He has held 3 solo exhibitions, participated in numerous national and international group exhibitions, symposiums, and various events both domestically and internationally. The artist has received 12 awards in the fields of ceramics and design. Since 2013, he has been continuing his academic career as a Lecturer in the Architectural Decorative Arts Program at Adnan Menderes University, Karacasu Memnune İnci Vocational School.
Kostas KARAKITSOS / Greece (Shaping on a potter's wheel)
Kostas Karakitsos was born in Kavala, Greece. Since 1986, he has been closely involved in the workshop environment and is a member of the Greek Chamber of Fine Arts. He has organized three international ceramic art symposia at his new ceramic studio in Avramilia, a small village outside the city of Kavala, where he has been living and working for the past 16 years.
The artist has participated in numerous international symposia in Greece, Slovenia, Italy, Turkey, Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Thailand, and Korea. His works are present in private collections, museums, and universities.
Maged Zaky HASSAN / Egypt (Obvara Firing)
Maged Zayk Hassan was born in 1983, a citizen of Egypt, and residing in Turkey since 2013. He has been working as a ceramic artist, designer, and academic. He is a lecturer in the Department of Ceramics at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Erciyes University by 2015. He graduated from the Department of Ceramics at the Faculty of Applied Arts at Helwan University in Cairo, Egypt, in 2005. From 2006 to 2013, he worked as a research assistant at the same university. In 2015, he completed his Master's degree in Ceramic and Glass Design at Dokuz Eylül University. In 2020, he received his Proficiency in Art (DFA) in Ceramics from Hacettepe University.
He has participated in numerous symposia, workshops, ceramic competitions, and group exhibitions related to ceramics and visual arts, both in Turkey and abroad. His works have been selected for private and institutional collections in many countries, including the Egypt Modern Art Museum, as well as in Turkey, Germany, France, Italy, Croatia, South Korea, Tunisia, and Latvia.
Metin ERTURK / Turkiye (Clay Shaping on the Potter's Wheel)
He was born in 1989 in Eskişehir. After completing his high school specialising in ceramics and also his associate degree in ceramics, he graduated from Uşak University Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Ceramics in 2015. In 2013, he worked at Michel François Porcelain workshop in England and received training on studio pottery. He participated in many national and international exhibitions, workshops, symposiums and competitions. He has won 6 awards from these competitions. His work has been published in America, Thailand and England. In 2016, he opened his first solo exhibition in Japan. In 2019, he completed his master's degree at Hacettepe University with his thesis on Terra Sigillata slip. In 2023, he opened his first solo exhibition in Turkey at PG Art Gallery. Metin Ertürk, who shapes his forms on the pottery wheel produces his works in his studio in Istanbul, examines issues such as the individual, psychology and cultural values.
Omer ONER / ENGLAND (Mould Casting)
After completing his undergraduate (2001) and master's (2005) studies in the Department of History at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Omer Oner moved to the UK and graduated from the Ceramics Design Department at Central Saint Martins in London. His artistic practice is shaped by his academic background and his interest in the transformative potential of found objects.
Omer explores themes of transformation and renewal by converting found objects into ceramic forms. He uses plaster mold making and casting techniques in his work. By processing waste materials such as broken furniture, glass, metal, and plastic parts, he gives them new life and meaning. He preserves the essence of found pieces in plaster molds and then transforms them into porcelain copies through the slip casting method. While continuing to explore the creative potential of waste materials, Ömer continues his production in his studio in London.
Perihan SAN ASLAN / Turkiye (Printing Techniques on Ceramic Surfaces)
Born in 1978 in Ankara, she completed her undergraduate education in the Department of Ceramics at Hacettepe University Faculty of Fine Arts in 2000. In 2004, she received her Master's degree with the Art Work Report titled “Experiments in the Search for Personal Forms in the Creation Process Based on Nature” in the same department. In 2010, she completed her Proficiency in Art degree with the Art Work Report titled “Object and Personal Practices in Contemporary Art.”
The artist has held six solo exhibitions, won four awards, and participated in numerous national and international exhibitions. She has also been invited as a participant or instructor at various national and international symposia and workshops.
She is a member of the Art Educators Association (SEDER), the Turkish Ceramic Association (TSD), and the Ceramic Art Education and Change Association (SSEDD).
She currently continues her academic and artistic work as an Associate Professor in the Department of Ceramics at Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University Faculty of Fine Arts.
Shamai GIBSH / USA (Milk Firing)
Shamai Gibsh was educated as an engineer and ceramicist in the USA. He is a board member of IAC-International Academy of Ceramics & an executive of CAAI. He has participated in many residencies and exhibitions, and his art is in collections of multiple Museums and private in Asia, Europe, and USA. His work has been featured in a variety of ceramic magazines, books and publications. Recently published a book which summarizes all his techniques: “Terra Sigilllata, Smoke Fire & Clay”. Currently represented by Plinth Gallery, Denver Colorado USA, Curated Ceramics, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kolbo Gallery, Brookline, Massachusetts, USA.