YTU FACULTY OF ART AND DESIGN
“SYNTHETIC VISUALITY” POST-ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ART AND DESIGN SYMPOSIUM
Date: June 3–4, 2026
Venue: Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM)
Symposium Events: Exhibition and Opening Concert
Main Theme of the Symposium: “Synthetic Visuality: Art and Design Beyond Artificial Intelligence”
CALL FOR PAPERS
In today’s world, rapidly transformed by digital technologies, AI-powered production tools are creating not only a new aesthetic realm but also a new regime of visual culture. “Synthetic Visuality,” as a hybrid form of expression emerging at the intersection of human creativity, data-driven systems, and algorithmic modes of representation, is sparking profound debates in the fields of art and design.
This symposium, held under the main theme “Synthetic Visuality: Art and Design in the Post-AI Era,” aims to address the ontological, ethical, methodological, and aesthetic transformations brought about by the post-AI era in the disciplines of art and design from a holistic perspective. We invite academics, researchers, designers, artists, and students to discuss the possibilities, limitations, and creative potential of synthetic visuality.
The symposium is open to presentations of works within the subthemes listed below.
*The abstract submission template is provided at the end of this page.
Subthemes of the Symposium:
- The Ontological Transformation of Visuality: From Digital to Synthetic
- Creative Agency and Collaborative Production Models
- Generative Systems and Design Applications
- Data Economy, Surveillance, and Regimes of Visibility
- Ethics, Law, and Representation Policies
- Labor, Economy, and Creative Industries
- Pedagogy, Academia, and Institutional Transformation
- Cultural Memory, Archives, and Algorithmic Curation
- Post-Human Futures and Speculative Approaches
- Legal Issues in Artificial Intelligence Productions
- Authorship and AI Support
- The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Music
- Digitization in Performance
- Creative Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Applications
- Creative Artificial Intelligence and Audiovisual Applications
- Games, Animation, and Artificial Intelligence
- Graphic Design and Artificial Intelligence
- The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Photography and Archiving
- Promptography and Photorealistic Image Generation
- Analog and Digital Image Generation
- Analog and Algorithmic Image Generation
ABSTRACT SUBMISSION AND PARTICIPATION
Abstract Submission:
Abstracts should be submitted to yapayzekasempozyumu@gmail.com. Each participant may submit a maximum of two abstracts.
The email must include the abstract title, authors’ first and last names, authors’ affiliations and titles, and the corresponding author’s information.
Writing Guidelines:
The symposium accepts abstracts written in English or Turkish. When preparing abstracts, the template provided below must be downloaded and used. Abstracts should be prepared within the 350–500-word limit and must include scientific content such as the significance of the research, methodology, and anticipated results. Abstracts must adhere to APA 7 academic writing style guidelines. The “Abstract Template” is provided at the end of this page.
Participation Requirements:
The symposium is open to academics, researchers, artists, designers, and students working in creative fields.
Each participant may submit a maximum of 2 abstracts, either as an individual or as a co-author.
Format of Participation:
The symposium will be held in person at the Istanbul Atatürk Cultural Center. Online or hybrid participation will not be accepted.
Presentation Language and Duration:
The symposium’s presentation languages are Turkish or English, and the presentation time for each participant is set at 20 minutes.
Participation Fee:
Participation in the symposium is free of charge. Authors whose papers are accepted may, if they wish, make a donation to the YTÜ Foundation to support scholarships for YTÜ STF students. Detailed information is available in the FAQ section.
Publication Opportunities:
The full texts of the papers presented at the symposium will be published as the “Proceedings.” The symposium’s full proceedings will be printed in October. Full paper manuscripts must be submitted by July 19, 2026.
INVITED SPEAKERS
Moderator: İsmail Erim GÜLAÇTI
Speakers: Selçuk ARTUT, Christopher ÇOLAK, Attorney Figen KORAL
WORKSHOPS
Information regarding the content of the workshops, participation, and registration will be announced at a later date.
IMPORTANT DATES
NOTE: The most up-to-date version of the schedule will be posted on the website in the coming days.
Abstract Submission Deadline: May 3, 2026
Announcement of Accepted Abstracts: May 11, 2026
Symposium Program Announcement: May 15, 2026
Symposium Dates: June 3–4, 2026
COMMITTEES
Honorary Chair: Prof. Dr. Eyüp DEBİK (Rector of YTÜ)
Symposium Chair: Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin KAHRAMAN (Dean of STF)
Symposium Organizing Committee:
Assoc. Prof. Dide AKDAĞ SATIR (Guest Coordinator)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ece Merve YÜCEER NISHIDA (Proceedings Coordinator)
Assoc. Prof. Ayça TUFAN (Exhibition Coordinator)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Burcu BÖCEKLER (Registration Coordinator)
Dr. İsmail Erim GÜLAÇTI (Symposium Coordinator)
Dr. Emrah UÇAR (Concert Coordinator)
Research Assistant Şeyda Şenay ELMAS (Correspondence Coordinator)
Research Assistant Betül AYDOĞDU (Graphic Design Coordinator)
Scientific Committee:
Prof. Dr. Zeynep Ebru AYATA
Prof. Mustafa IŞIK
Prof. Dr. Arda EDEN
Prof. Dr. Ayrin ERSÖZ
Prof. Dr. Kadriye TEZCAN AKMEHMET
Prof. Rıfat ŞAHİNER
Prof. Dr. Lütfü KAPLANOĞLU
Prof. Dr. Kader SÜRMELİ
Prof. Dr. Seza SİNANLAR USLU
Prof. Dilek TÜRKMENOĞLU
Prof. Dr. Koray SAZLI
Prof. Tan TEMEL
Prof. Dr. A. Ayça ÜNLÜER ÇİMEN
Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin KAHRAMAN
Prof. Dr. E. Ceylan ÜNAL AKBULUT
Assoc. Prof. Dr. İbrahim Orton AKINCI
Assoc. Prof. Aslıhan ERUZUN ÖZEL
Assoc. Prof. Sernaz DEMİREL TEMEL
Assoc. Prof. Burak BOYRAZ
Assoc. Prof. Ayça TUFAN BAKNALI
Associate Professor Bahadır UÇAN, Ph.D.
Associate Professor Ertan TOY, Ph.D.
Associate Professor Burcu BÖCEKLER, Ph.D.
Associate Professor Yelda YANAT BAĞCI, Ph.D.
Associate Professor Dide AKDAĞ SATIR
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nur CEMELELİOĞLU
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ece Merve YÜCEER NISHIDA
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bekir Şahin BALOĞLU
Associate Professor Serdar DARTAR
Associate Professor Elif DASTARLI DELLALOĞLU, Ph.D.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Umut Burcu TASA YURTSEVER
Associate Professor Aynur KARAGÖL
Dr. Muammer Fevzioğlu BOZKURT, Assistant Professor
Dr. Mehmet Şah MALTAŞ, Assistant Professor
Dr. İsmail Erim GÜLAÇTI, Assistant Professor
Dr. Mehmet NUHOĞLU, Assistant Professor
Dr. Erkan ÇİÇEK, Assistant Professor
Dr. Şebnem UŞEN, Assistant Professor
Dr. Derya AYDOĞAN, Assistant Professor
Dr. Levent KAYA, Assistant Professor
Dr. Zeynep BİRGÖNÜL, Assistant Professor
Dr. Assistant Professor Emrah UÇAR
Dr. Osman Halil İMİK, Assistant Professor
Dr. M. Kaan BIYIKOĞLU, Assistant Professor
Dr. Olcay DEMİRCİ, Assistant Professor
Dr. Ezgi YÜRÜMEZ, Assistant Professor
Dr. Deniz DOĞANGÜN, Assistant Professor
Dr. Assistant Professor Kerim ALTINÖRS
Dr. Mihrali KÖSELİÖREN, Assistant Professor
Dr. Assistant Professor Gözde ÖZALTUN
CONTACT
For all questions regarding the symposium, please send an email to yapayzekasempozyumu@gmail.com.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
• What is the language of the presentations?
Presentations in both Turkish and English will be accepted.
• Is online participation in the symposium possible?
No, the event will be held exclusively in person.
• Is there a fee to attend the symposium?
No, participation in the symposium is completely free of charge.
• Does the symposium fall under the ÜAK criteria or the Academic Incentive Regulation?
The requirement that the symposium chair be appointed by the university senate—one of the conditions for applying for associate professorship under the Higher Education Council (ÜAK)—is met; however, we do not have a target regarding the condition that 50% of the presented papers be by foreign academics. It is the participants’ own responsibility to determine whether the symposium falls under the ÜAK associate professorship criteria or the Academic Incentive Regulation. Since current practices and evaluation criteria regarding these matters may vary by institution, participants must review the relevant official regulations and their institutions’ criteria themselves. The symposium organizers do not provide any binding guarantees or guidance on this matter.
• Am I required to make a donation to the YTÜ Foundation?
There is no obligation to make a donation. Faculty members of the YTÜ Faculty of Art and Design make regular donations to the YTÜ Foundation to be distributed to students in need. Our faculty members presenting papers may, if they wish, make a donation based on the information provided below. We thank you on behalf of our students for your donation.
Yıldız Technical University Foundation, T. İş Bank YTÜ Beşiktaş Branch
BRANCH CODE: 1199
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 3097840
IBAN: TR360006400000111993097840
REMARK: Scholarship Donation for Students of the Faculty of Art and Design
• Will a certificate of participation be issued?
A certificate of participation will be issued to all presenters upon completion of their presentations.
• Will a proceedings book be published?
A “Proceedings Book” containing the papers presented at the symposium will be published.