ŞİRİN KOÇAK
Born in 1978 in Razgrad, Bulgaria, Şirin Koçak completed her undergraduate studies in 2005 at Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Ceramic and Glass Design. She received her master’s degree in 2009 and her proficiency in art in 2014 from the Institute of Fine Arts at the same university, in the Department of Ceramic and Glass. She was awarded the title of Associate Professor in 2021.
She has carried out academic and artistic work at VŠVU – Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava (Slovakia), ISIA Faenza – Higher Institute for Artistic Industries in Faenza (Italy), Universum College in Pristina (Kosovo), and the Art Academy of Latvia.
Koçak has held nine solo exhibitions, including two abroad, and has participated in numerous international symposiums, biennials, workshops, congresses, seminars, and exhibitions in countries such as Turkey, Italy, Latvia, Romania, Egypt, Slovenia, Georgia, Argentina, Croatia, Portugal, Slovakia, Lithuania, Austria, Pakistan, France, Serbia, Iran, Poland, Kosovo, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Russia, Bulgaria, Spain, Tunisia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Her works are part of 27 public and private collections, including: The Museum of Ceramics in L’Alcora, Spain; Mun-Gyeong Ceramic Museum, South Korea; Riga Porcelain Museum and Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Center, Latvia; Varazdin City Museum’s International Postmodern Ceramics Collection, Croatia; UNICUM Ceramic Triennial, Slovenia; International Ceramic Mural Biennial, Argentina; Ziraat Bank Art Collection; İş Bank Art Collection.
Şirin Koçak has received three awards from international biennials abroad and three from national competitions in Turkey. She is currently serving as Vice Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Head of the Ceramics Department at Uşak University, where she teaches both theoretical and practical courses at undergraduate and graduate levels. She is also a member of the Turkish Ceramic Society.
TUBA ÖNDER
Tuba Önder completed her undergraduate studies in the Department of Artistic Ceramics at Anadolu University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Ceramics and Glass Main Art Branch. She received both her Master’s degree and Proficiency in Art in the field of Artistic Ceramics from Marmara University, Institute of Fine Arts, Ceramics and Glass Main Art Branch.
During her education, she worked in the studios of Atilla Galatalı and Filiz Özgüven Galatalı, and later gained experience at the Gorbon Art Studio. She created original fashion design collections for some of Turkey’s leading brands. In 1998, she was invited as a guest artist at the Eczacıbaşı Art Studio.
Since 2001, she has been continuing her production in artistic ceramic and porcelain works in her own private studio, while also continuing her educational activities. A member of both the Turkish Ceramic Society and the Association for Ceramic Art Education and Exchange, her works are part of various international and private collections, as well as the permanent collections of three museums.
To date, Tuba Önder has held 13 solo exhibitions, participated in numerous group shows, and taken part in a wide range of national and international competitions and art fairs. She continues to play an active role in social responsibility projects, artistic collaborations with municipalities, and educational initiatives.
MENDERES SARGIN
Menderes Sargın (b. 1977) is a chess coach and the founder of the Chess Academy. He is also the founder of the Chess Coaches Association, where he served as president from 2012 to 2023. He is an international chess educator (FIDE Instructor) and a senior chess coach.
He holds degrees in Tourism and Primary School Teaching and has recently completed a master’s degree in economics. He continues to work toward the popularization of chess. In this context, he collects chess-themed artworks and publishes chess books for children.
ZSOLT JÓZSEF SIMON
Born in Celldömölk, Hungary, in 1973, Zsolt developed an early passion for porcelain. After training at the Herend Porcelain Manufactory and graduated as a porcelain designer with a masters degree from the Silicate Department of Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest, Hungary in 2006, he moved to Indonesia, where he found inspiration in the infinite forces of nature. In 2011, he founded his studio in the suburbs of Budapest, which quickly became a hub for experimental ceramics. Now he settled in Pécs, Hungary which place is famous of the heritage of the Zsolnay porcelain.
He is a freelance artist, working with his own invented and developed typical technique. The artist, whose works are in collections from the USA to Japan, also teaching in workshops, giving lectures worldwide. Zsolt has participated in numerous national and international solo and group exhibitions, competitions, fairs, symposiums and won several awards in Korea, Italy, Spain and Hungary.
LUCY BAXENDALE
A ceramicist and illustrator based in Herefordshire, UK.
She uses surrealist automatism to create detailed drawings which become the starting point for her porcelain pieces. Fascinated by the journey from two-dimensional sketches to three-dimensional sculptures, she explores the shifting relationships between the lines in her drawings. As these lines transition into tangible forms, their narratives also evolve.
Lucy’s homeware range is inspired from characters that spring to life within her drawings – a playful attempt to marry fun with practicality and bring joy to every day.
Lucy was listed as Craft and Design magazines ‘One to watch’ in 2011 and chosen as one of Ceramics Monthly’s emerging artists in 2022.
She teaches Ceramic short courses at various venues around the UK, including Baltic centre for Contemporary Art, Hereford College of Arts & CUP Ceramics and exhibits widely across the UK, and her work is enjoyed by collectors worldwide.