An Artist Who Weaves Identity Stitch by Stitch: An Interview with Batuhan Aysan

Can we get to know you a little? Who is Batuhan Aysan?

My name is Batuhan Aysan. I am a young artist producing with a focus on social impact and upcycling. Local development, climate action, gender equality, youth empowerment, and equal access to education are at the core of both my artistic production and the projects I am involved in. My journey in social responsibility began during middle school with a book donation project aimed at supporting rural schools. Since then, I have believed in the transformative power of producing and sharing.

While I value individual activism, I believe that real transformation is only possible through organization and solidarity. For this reason, I strive to create joint projects and expand positive impact by working alongside associations, civil society organizations, and institutions. I try to align my work directly with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Quality Education (4), Climate Action (13), and Gender Equality (5).

I was born into an environment where access to educational opportunities was limited; thanks to the scholarship program of the Darüşşafaka Society, I was able to access equal educational opportunities. This experience further strengthened my sensitivity toward education. In addition to local projects, I have also participated in international competitions, which broadened my perspective on social impact.

I play the cello and violin, paint, and dance. I also see practices such as upcycling, circular economy approaches, slow fashion, and sewing my own clothes as artistic forms of expression. In my work, I do not see waste as an end, but as a beginning that needs to be rethought. For me, art is not merely an aesthetic production; it is a living language that engages with social issues, transforms, and integrates into everyday life.

The collaboration we carried out last year with Karaman Municipality and TED University was especially meaningful to me, as it once again demonstrated how institutional solidarity can amplify impact. Creating spaces where young people from different backgrounds can come together, believe in their potential, and be empowered through production is deeply important to me. I define myself as a young artist who produces, evolves, and transforms with a focus on social impact and upcycling. Believing that education and collaboration are among the most powerful tools for social transformation, I continue to produce and develop new projects.

What was the starting point of your work “Missing Motif,” which is featured in the exhibition?

The starting point was the idea that identity construction is not solely shaped by our own choices. Although identity may seem like a highly personal space, the geography we live in, our family, society, economic conditions, and the dynamics of everyday life shape us without us even realizing it. In other words, it is not only the “self” that stitches identity; environmental factors also add their own stitches.

To express this idea, the metaphor of handwoven kilims and carpets felt very powerful to me. A carpet, like identity, is formed stitch by stitch over a long period of time, and once it is woven, it is difficult to undo. Moreover, each motif carries a meaning—wishes such as abundance, happiness, protection, and well-being—symbols that emerge from culture and are often presented to us in ready-made forms. Sometimes, we do not truly choose which motifs we “weave”; they can merge into our identity almost spontaneously through our environment and collective memory.

In this work, I focused precisely on this point: the challenges and experiences of constructing my own motifs—my own identity. I realized that during certain periods, I could not weave my own motifs without first removing those imposed by my surroundings. The title “Missing Motif” comes from this realization, because unweaving, reweaving, and trying to find one’s own voice naturally leave gaps, absences, and a sense of incompleteness. For me, this work is an attempt to make visible identity as a process shaped both by collective influences and by an individual’s effort to rewrite it through personal choices.

What does being part of the Identity 5.0 exhibition mean to you?

It was a very valuable experience to be able to carry my own story into the public sphere. For the first time, I found representation under a professional framework and, at the same time, had the opportunity to represent myself. This process strengthened my confidence in my artistic production and deepened my awareness of the act of producing itself, beyond mere visibility.

This exhibition strongly reminded me that being an artist is not only about moments of recognition and appreciation. For a year, we produced quietly and without visibility; only at the end of the exhibition did this labor become visible and appreciated. While this idea was not foreign to me, experiencing it firsthand was what truly brought awareness and value. I genuinely experienced how the process itself can be far more transformative than the final result.

Producing and sharing alongside fellow artists throughout the exhibition process once again showed me how nourishing collective production can be. Working with our curator, Aydanur Akkut, who carefully guided the process and created space for us, was also highly instructive for me. Identity 5.0 felt like a journey in which I re-entered my cocoon, transformed, and ultimately emerged with wings.

What did being part of such a project as a first-year student contribute to you?

Being part of such a project reminded me that academic classifications or labels do not define who I am. I see my current position not as a level, but as a process. Rather than rushing forward, I chose to strengthen my trust in my own path, work, and creativity, and to deepen my production. I waited for people who believed in my light and my work to come to me.

At this point, I would especially like to thank Res. Assist. Dr. Ayten Bengisu Cansever Bayhan for making this interview possible. I believe that such support plays a crucial role in helping young people trust their own paths.

If there is one thing I would like to say to students at all levels, it would be about time and comparison. I firmly believe that we should never compare ourselves to others. Instead of measuring your process by looking at what others are doing, focusing on your own experience and pace is far healthier. Thoughts like “I’m falling behind” or “they are ahead of me” are often misleading and far from constructive. For me, what truly matters is my own experience, my own pace, and knowing what I want to do. This project once again showed me how valuable it is to trust my own path and to take ownership of my process.