Dilan Aksan – Ceramic Artist / Designer
- Date of Birth: April 28, 1979
- Place of Birth: Nusaybin, Mardin
- Residence: Antwerp, Belgium
- Languages: Kurdish, Turkish, Flemish
An Artist Shaping the Memory of the Earth
Through her hands, Dilan Aksan molds ceramics that revive the ancient spirit of Mesopotamia and the layered cultural memory of Nusaybin in a contemporary language. Her works stand at a delicate crossroads where nostalgia meets modernity; they are like silent narratives carrying traces of the past into the future.
Education and Life Journey
She completed her primary and secondary education in Nusaybin, then moved to Istanbul with her family in 1994. After graduating from high school in Istanbul in 1997, she began working as an accountant, drawing on her early skills with typewriters and computers. She lived and worked in Istanbul’s Bahçelievler district for many years.
In 2014, she relocated to Belgium. There, the call of the earth echoed once again within her, leading her to the Ceramics Department of the State Academy of Fine Arts in Hoboken, Antwerp (2019–2023). From 2023 to 2025, she pursued her specialization studies and earned the title of ceramic specialist and artist.
During her training, Aksan regarded ceramics not merely as a functional material but as a narrative tool, an emotional state, and a form of expression. She also engaged in volunteer work at museums and cultural events in Antwerp, weaving art into the fabric of everyday life.
Artistic Language and Inspiration
Aksan’s ceramics carry the symbols of the East, the reflections of collective memory, and the deeper layers of identity. Her greatest source of inspiration is the memory of her grandmother and the pottery tradition of Mardin. Her grandmother’s words still resonate in her mind:
"Back then, there were no refrigerators. Ceramic pitchers, yogurt pots, large bowls, and casseroles were essential in our daily life."
For Aksan, these are not only cherished memories but also the voice of a cultural heritage passed down through generations.
Another lasting memory is the rose sherbet from her childhood. Her grandmother would gather red roses from the garden and store the sherbet in ceramic jars. This deepened Aksan’s admiration for the dual nature of clay—both as a nurturer and a preserver.
Brand: Roza
Dilan Aksan presents her ceramic works under the brand name Roza. This name symbolizes both personal memory and cultural continuity.
Each work is not merely an object but a carrier of time and spirit. For Aksan, ceramics are more than a material—they are a way of life, a language of memory, and a medium of cultural transmission.
"When raw materials unite with the imagination of ceramic artists, the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary."
– Dilan Aksan
With love,
