Born in Istanbul in 1990, Begüm Alkan is a graduate of the Department of Sociology at Istanbul University. During her university education, she was accepted into the minor program in the Department of Art History at Istanbul University. She developed her ceramic practice through various applied trainings and personal research during different periods; she closely examined ceramic productions and workshop practices in the United States as well as in Turkey, enriching her works with different observations and experiences.
In her production practice, the artist focuses on reinterpreting the traditional formal language of ceramics with a contemporary approach. Disrupting the conventional order of form, constructing pieces in different relationships with one another, and emphasizing the structure's sense of movement are among the fundamental characteristics of her works. Rather than directly repeating traditional ceramic forms, she prefers to transform them to create a freer, layered, and sculptural narrative.
Generally working with stoneware, Alkan uses the material sometimes glazed and sometimes unglazed in her artworks. Textures on the surface, layers, voids, and the internal rhythm of the form are important elements of her production. While preserving the natural character of the material, she explores the contrasts between surface and form.
In the artist's practice, manual production is not merely a technique, but a part of the relationship the material establishes with time. The slow production process works in tandem with the concepts of repetition, rhythm, transformation, and continuity.
Alkan, whose works were exhibited as part of Art Capital held at the Grand Palais in Paris in 2026, also had her works featured in the official museum publication regarding the exhibition. The artist continued her exhibition process, which began at La Vision Akaretler in 2024, with a group exhibition at Pera Palace in 2025 and the Istanbul, Izmir, and Bodrum editions of IAAF, and participated with her artworks in Art Ankara and Art Capital Paris in 2026. Alkan's works will also be exhibited as part of Contemporary Istanbul, which is planned to take place in 2026.