Illustrator Nominee: Turkey

Nazan Erkmen
Turkey, Illustrator

Currently dean and head of the Graphic Arts Department of Marmara University, Faculty of Fine Arts and the director of the Women's Library and Foundation, Nazan Erkmen was born in 1945 in Balikesir, Turkey. She completed her MA and PhD in Marmara University, Faculty of Fine Arts, majoring in illustration.

Author Canan Beykal remarks that Erkmen's illustrations are reminiscent of Paul Klee's work. Like Klee, she shows the relationship between children and art and she is aware of the importance of art in the growth and development of children.

Erkmen works in various media, including wood block, and her work is marked by its heightened use of colour. While her subject matter varies, one of Erkmen's great strengths as an illustrator lies in her treatment of epic tales, and her Gilgamiş has been highly praised for its forceful depiction of an ancient story. Her palette ranges from sombre blues and greens to bright bursts of orange and red, drawing the eye to the subject matter and intensifying the reader's reaction to the dramatic and terrible moments in the narrative. While nothing is softened, and no condescension is made to the reader, the detailing in the images intensifies their strange and mythic atmosphere.

Nazan Erkmen has won many awards, both in Turkey and internationally, including the Noma and Pen Writer's Club Award. She has illustrated some 133 books, and many more book covers. She has also created artwork for stamps, and for newspapers and magazines.