Born in Adana in 1946, Zahit Büyükişliyen completed his primary and secondary education in Iskenderun, Istanbul and Mersin. He graduated from Iskenderun High School in 1964. In 1965, he participated in the State Painting and Sculpture Exhibition with an oil painting. Büyükişliyen graduated from Ankara Gazi Education Institute Painting Department in 1966 and worked as an art teacher at Konya-Ereğli İvriz Teachers' School between 1967-70. The artist, who worked as a painting teacher at Iskenderun High School between 1970-71, was sent to West Germany to receive Specialization Training in Plastic Arts after winning the competition exam opened by the Ministry of National Education in 1971. He studied German at the Gothe Institute in 1972. Between 1972-76, he received specialization training at the Kassel State Academy of Fine Arts. He graduated from Kassel State Academy of Fine Arts in 1976 by successfully completing his thesis on "Migration from Rural Areas to Big Cities in Turkey and the Perception and Interpretation of Slums Around Big Cities in Turkish Painting". He worked as a lecturer at Gazi Education Institute and Gazi Higher Teachers' School between 1976-83. In 1983, he completed his doctoral thesis on "The Activity of Artists from Ankara in Turkish Painting" at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Mimar Sinan University. He became an Associate Professor at Hacettepe University Faculty of Fine Arts in 1984.

Büyükişliyen was appointed as a faculty member at Yeditepe University Faculty of Fine Arts in 1997, served as the Deputy Dean and Head of the Plastic Arts Department, and left Yeditepe University in 2019. The artist has 5 books and 19 success awards published so far. Having opened more than 200 personal exhibitions, the artist continues his life and art works in Istanbul.

COCOON

Inspirational Stories

We talked to Zahit Büyükişliyen about his art and his perspective on art.