Our Board of Directors

Let's create together! |

Leyli Art Association 2nd Term Board of Directors

Ufuk YeşİL

Founding President

Ufuk Yeşil graduated from Kadir Has University with a degree in Radio, TV, and Cinema. He shaped his career through his work in education, media, and cinema. In 2018, he founded Leyli Sanat Derneği, which advocates for freedom of expression and rights-based initiatives, and continues to serve as the president. In 2019, he started a master’s degree in Women’s Studies at Istanbul University. In 2021, he received support from the Ali İsmail Korkmaz Foundation’s “Young Artist Fund” to produce a short documentary, which was showcased at national and international festivals. In June 2022, he began working as the Visual Content and Communications Coordinator at SES Equality and Solidarity Association. Additionally, he continues to work as a volunteer trainer in various civil society organizations, conducting activities on cinema and media.

Akİf Demİrellİ

Vice President

Born in 1990, Akif Demirelli graduated from Marmara University with a degree in Finance and from Istanbul University with a degree in Theater Criticism and Dramaturgy. He is currently working on his thesis in Public Environmental Expenditures at Istanbul University. With interests in education, culture, art, and travel, he contributes to civil society activities at Leyli Sanat Derneği and serves as the Vice President for the second term.

Seda Baştaş Hatam Oghly

General Secretary

Born in Izmir in 1986, Seda Baştaş Hatam Oghly graduated from Balıkesir University with a degree in Turkish Language Teaching. She continues her profession at a public school and expresses that her most comfortable place is “in the classroom with her students.”

Experiencing the 1999 Marmara Earthquake in Gölcük left deep marks on her soul, and she describes her life in two stages: “Before the fault line” and “After the fault line.” She began writing continuously after this event, finding relief in it. In 2014, she published a poetry book titled “Leyli Efruz.” She continues to write stories, essays, and poems. Seda Hatam Oghly, the General Secretary of Leyli Sanat Derneği, is married and has a child.

Cengİz Güven

Treasurer

Born in Gebze, Kocaeli in 1985, Cengiz Güven is a high school graduate who has been working in the accounting field in private sector companies since 2004. He has had an interest in oil painting and charcoal drawing since primary school. He has been serving as the treasurer on the board of Leyli Sanat Derneği since 2021.

Zeynep Tosun

Board Member

Born in Erzurum in 1994, Zeynep Tosun graduated from Uludağ University with a degree in Turkish Language and Literature and completed her pedagogical formation. She works as a teacher in private educational institutions in Bursa. She began a master’s degree in New Turkish Literature in 2021 but left it during the thesis stage. Interested in cinema, theater, and literature, she started working as a volunteer editor for the LEYLİ-DER e-magazine at Leyli Sanat Derneği in 2021. She later continued as a member and board member. She continues to volunteer in the SİYAH E-Dergi project, which began in 2024.

İbrahİm Akgün

Deputy Board Member

Born in Kanlıca, Istanbul in 1988, İbrahim Akgün completed primary and secondary education in Beyoğlu and graduated from high school in Kemerburgaz. He studied Public Relations and received three years of music education at Üsküdar Musiki Cemiyeti. In his twenties, he hosted television programs on local channels. Building his artistic identity through music, İbrahim Akgün produced singles in popular culture. He has four singles and a book published. He has been writing columns, conducting interviews, and creating content for various news websites, magazines, and digital publications for nearly 10 years.

Hakan Bozkurt

Deputy Board Member

Born in Gaziantep in 1989, Hakan Bozkurt grew up in a house filled with Turkish folk music. Raised by his mother, a representative of Barak folk music, Hakan sang in nearly all school events. During high school, he learned to play the guitar. He moved to Istanbul in 2015, living in Taksim and engaging in music while working in his profession. He performed in various venues in Beyoğlu and recorded his first professional track in 2024 with the support of Jehat Hekimoğlu.

Abdul A.H. Oghly

Deputy Board Member

Abdul Aziz Hatam Oghly came to Turkey in 2013 to study Journalism at Erzurum Atatürk University. He fell in love with the Turkish language and identifies himself as saying, “My homeland is Turkish.” Expressing his thoughts in philosophy and literature, Hatam Oghly says, “If two poets are arguing, there is no poetry.” Married to Seda Hatam Oghly and a father of one, Hatam Oghly also continues to develop himself in kickboxing and kung fu.

Our Team

Merve Gülmez

Born and raised in Kocaeli in 1995, Merve Gülmez graduated from Marmara University in 2017 with a degree in Health Management. During her student years, she started working as a Social Media Specialist at a digital marketing agency, aligning with her interests. Over time, she continued to develop her skills in digital marketing, creative writing, and design through various training programs. After a brief stint as a store manager, where she gained competencies in team leadership, organization, and human resources, she returned to social media. In 2021, she became a Social Media Director and, in 2023, a Creative Director. Since stepping into this field in 2015, she has created content, developed digital media strategies, and written projects for individuals and institutions in various sectors.
She defines herself as a “Social Media Communicator” and adds, “Although I’ve always been ambitious and focused on the ‘optimum,’ I used to constantly read signs as a child. My creations and successes stem from my enthusiasm for reading even the unwritten.”

Who Are We?

Leyli Art Association is a new generation civil society organization that conducts freedom of expression and rights-based work, providing a space and opportunity for individuals to share their emotions and thoughts through culture and arts.

Let's create together! |

Let's create together! |