Biography

Oktay Kočan (pron. "Oc-taille Ko-tchan") is a Turkish-Bosniak and naturalized French contemporary artist based in Toulouse, France. He is the third generation in a family of artists whose roots stretch from North Macedonia to Montenegro.

His grandfather was a painter, actor, and founder of the Turkish theater in North Macedonia. His mother is a painter, linguist, journalist and the founder of a publishing house. His father is an art historian and journalist. Raised in Istanbul after moving there at the age of three, Kočan grew up surrounded by creativity, language, and cultural heritage.

In 2015, he moved to Toulouse to pursue a master’s degree in aerospace engineering. Alongside his scientific path, he continued developing a multidisciplinary art practice shaped by his cultural background and curiosity about the modern world.