Born in Istanbul in 1992, Aynur Elif Boyraz is an artist who carries the spirit of centuries-old Turkish and Islamic art into the rhythm of contemporary life. Her works — delicate watercolours, intricate illumination pieces, and thoughtful calligraphic compositions — breathe new life into traditional forms while staying rooted in their spiritual and cultural origins.

 

Aynur graduated from the Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts in 2014, where she specialised in Traditional Turkish Arts — particularly illumination and Islamic calligraphy. She trained under Efdaluddin Kılıç, a master of the Şeyh Hamdullah lineage, continuing a 500-year-old calligraphic tradition. This foundation shaped not only her artistic discipline but also her worldview — one that values harmony, patience, and emotional connection as much as beauty itself. Her watercolour and illumination work often draws inspiration from Turkish ceramic motifs — elegant patterns that echo history, empathy, and unity. Painted with natural dyes on handmade paper, these pieces combine refined technique with deeply personal expression. As Aynur herself writes: “Empathy is to feel the emotions of another soul within your own — their pain, their joy. In my work, I express the differences between souls through colours, and their shared emotions through the repetition of the same letters.” Among her most notable pieces are “Dawn & Dusk” and “Elif”, exhibited through Cambridge Islamic Art, where her mastery of form and subtle emotion meet in delicate layers of ink, watercolour, and light. Her motifs — Hatayî, Penç, Goncagül, and other classical floral patterns — are reimagined with contemporary sensitivity, creating a timeless dialogue between past and present.

 

Beyond her studio practice, Aynur brings art into everyday life. She is the founder of Zerreden Design and Interior Architecture, where she blends traditional aesthetics with modern design, crafting interiors that speak of history, geometry, and the quiet poetry of space. Aynur has participated in several exhibitions, including the Turkish Community Art Exhibition at the Yunus Emre Institute in London, and continues to collaborate internationally on projects that celebrate the living heritage of Islamic art. Now based in Cambridge, she continues to create, teach, and explore the philosophical depth of illumination art and calligraphy — believing that to understand their stories is to cultivate empathy, patience, and inner peace.