CEREN YILDIRIM

Dr. Ceren Yildirim is an Associate Professor at the Department of Ceramics and Glass, Faculty of Fine Arts, Gaziantep University, where she has served since 2011 (initially as Lecturer in Painting until 2018, then promoted to Associate Professor in Ceramics and Glass). She held the position of Department Head from 2018-2019 and maintains active roles in curriculum development and university administration.

Her educational foundation includes dual Licentiates in Sculpture (1989-2019) and Painting (1999-2005), an MA in Painting (2006-2009), and Proficiency in Arts in Plastic Arts (2010-2015), all from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University except the Proficiency degree from Kocaeli University.

Dr. Yildirim's research centers on the psychological and cultural dimensions of color symbolism across historical periods, with particular focus on Van Gogh's artistic psychology, Gauguin's ceramic rebellion against Western norms, and the cultural semantics of colors (red, blue, purple, yellow). Her methodology bridges art history, cognitive psychology, and cultural anthropology to decode symbolic systems in Renaissance to modern art.

Analysis of her 2017-2020 publications reveals three dominant trajectories: psychological deconstruction of Van Gogh's work through Einfühlung theory, color symbolism as cultural continuity (e.g., purple's transition from religious royalty to modern identity politics), and ceramic art as postcolonial critique in Gauguin/Picasso. These interdisciplinary studies appear in 10 international refereed journals spanning art history, cultural studies, and psychological aesthetics.

She has supervised one Master's thesis to completion (2024) and directed four major projects including TÜBİTAK science festivals and the CELL-ART project using human cancer cells in artistic production. Her grant portfolio demonstrates strong integration of art-science collaborations and community outreach.

As an exhibiting artist with 64 documented activities since 2012, she maintains studio practice alongside academia through personal exhibitions (Bedenin Belleği, Arınma), curated group shows (Yakın-Uzak), and specialized workshops in mosaic and ceramics at Gaziantep University's cultural centers.