SERES’26 BROUGHT TOGETHER SCIENCE, ART AND INDUSTRY
The 6th International Congress on Ceramics, Glass, Enamel, Glaze and Pigment, SERES’26, organized by the Turkish Ceramics Society and Eskişehir Technical University, was held between October 14-17 at the ESTU 2 Eylül Campus and Anadolu University Yunus Emre Campus.
Prof. Dr. Servet Turan
The 6th International Ceramics, Glass, Enamel, Glaze and Pigment Congress, SERES’26, organized in collaboration with the Turkish Ceramics Society (TSD) and Eskişehir Technical University (ESTU), commenced with an opening ceremony at the ESTU School of Foreign Languages Congress Center. In his opening speech, Congress President Prof. Dr. Servet Turan highlighted the export strength of the Turkish ceramics sector, its domestic added value rate, and the need to increase R&D investments. Turan stated, “According to 2023 data, the ceramics sector exported approximately 1.5 billion dollars. When we look at the Turkiye Export Contribution Index, the ceramics sector ranks first. The main reason for this is the predominant use of domestic raw materials and the domestic added value rate being around 80 percent. R&D expenditures in the ceramics and refractory fields have approached 1 billion TL, but more investment is needed in this area for the sector's development.”
Prof. Dr. Taner Kavas Mehmet Mercan Prof. Duygu Kahraman
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Ceramics Society, Prof. Dr. Taner Kavas, stated that the ceramics sector is facing significant challenges due to increasing energy costs, carbon emissions, and raw material problems. Kavas said, “There is perhaps more pressure on the ceramics sector than ever before. Because energy prices are constantly rising. At the same time, carbon emissions are becoming a major issue. Along with this, raw material problems are emerging.”
At the opening ceremony, the Secretary General of the Turkish Ceramics Federation, Mehmet Mercan, the Vice Rector of ESTU, Prof. Dr. Hanife Apaydın Ozkan, and the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Prof. Duygu Kahraman, also emphasized the importance of SERES in terms of science, art, and industry.
Distinguished scientists in their fields
The main theme of this year's sixth SERES meeting was determined as "A New Perspective on the Circular Economy: Industrially Processed Raw Materials." Within this theme, topics such as the re-evaluation of industrially processed raw materials, more efficient use of resources, the transformation of waste into value-added materials, and the development of sustainable production models were highlighted. The discussion focused on how traditional ceramic knowledge can be reinterpreted with modern technology and sustainability approaches; approaches that reduce environmental impacts, increase economic value, and offer solutions applicable to industry were explored.
The scientific talks and paper presentations of the congress were held in three separate halls of ESTÜ. The topics covered in the intensive program sessions were as follows:
Industrial Ceramics: Raw Materials, Cement, Concrete, and Geopolymers
Modern Ceramic Technologies: From New Synthesis to Advanced Shaping
Glass to Glass-Ceramics: Crystallization, Structure, Properties, and Applications
Advanced Ceramics and Composites
Ceramics for Energy Conversion, Storage, and System-Level Integration
Refractory Materials, Refractory Cements, and Refractory Composites
Computational and Machine Learning Approaches in the Ceramics Field
The congress featured numerous leading, internationally renowned invited speakers: Dr. Salvatore Grasso (Queen Mary University of London, UK), Prof. Monica Ferraris (Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy), Prof. Dr. Silke Christiansen (Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS, Germany), Javier Rodríguez Ejerique (Tecnora, Spain), German F. de la Fuente (CSIC-Zaragoza University, Spain), Prof. Dr. Enrique Sanchez Vilches (Jaume I University of Castellon (UJI), Spain), Csaba Balazsi (HUN-REN Energy Research Center, Hungary), Prof. Dr. Sedat Alkoy (Gebze Technical University, Turkiye), Jorge Bakali (Spain), Uğur Çakır (UNIMAK, Turkiye), Christian Kohl (Amberger Kaolin Factory, Germany), Hans-Jürgen Hofmann (Quarzwerke Group, Germany), Vitalii Serdiukov (Amberger Kaolin Factory, Germany), Prof. Dr. Emre Erdem (Sabancı University), Prof. Stefan T. Bromley (ICREA, Spain), Prof. Dr. Egbert Figgemeier (Jülich Research Center, Germany), Dr. Pınar Kaya (Aalen University of Applied Sciences, Germany), Dr. Levent Karacasulu (University of Trento, Italy), Dr. Jochen Schilm (Raunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems, Germany), Prof. Dr. Ender Suvacı (ESTU, Turkiye), Prof. Marc Huger (Ceramic Research Institute, France), Dr. Ufuk Akkaşoğlu (Vesuvius, Belgium), Dr. Kamil Burak Dermenci (Vrije University of Brussels, Belgium), Dr. Semih Engün (Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany), Prof. Dr. Suat Yılmaz (Istanbul University, Cerrahpaşa, Turkiye), Prof. Dr. Duygu Ağaoğulları (ITU, Turkiye), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Çelik (ESTU, Turkiye), Prof. Dr. Bilge Saruhan Brings (German Aerospace Center, Germany).
Sustainability and Circular Economy
At the “Sustainability and Circular Economy” Panel held within the scope of the congress, TSF Secretary General Mehmet Mercan spoke on ‘The Current State of the Sector’; TSF Deputy Secretary General Yasemin E. Akyar spoke on ‘Sustainability Roadmap’; Çağlar Güven from Rever Academy spoke on ‘Carbon and Water Footprint Reporting in the Ceramics Sector’; Kağan Kayacı from Kaleseramik R&D Center spoke on ‘Transition to the Use of Different Energy Sources in the Ceramics Sector’; Burçak Atay from Eczacıbaşı Holding R&D spoke on ‘Can the Ceramics Sector Utilize Its Own Waste?’; Senior Geological Engineer Ongun Yoldemir spoke on ‘Are There Natural (White) Hydrogen Resources in Turkey? What Should Be Done?’; SAM President Servet Turan spoke on ‘A Different Perspective on the Circular Economy: Utilizing Waste as Industrially Processed Raw Material’. A panel titled ‘R&D and Design Centers’ was also held within the scope of the congress.
Ceramic Art Beyond Borders
Assoc. Prof. Mutlu Başkaya
The artistic program of SERES’26 was held at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Anadolu University. The art events began with speeches by Prof. Duygu Kahraman, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Anadolu University, and Assoc. Prof. Mutlu Başkaya, Head of the Ceramics Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Hacettepe University. Başkaya, who is also the Vice President of the Turkish Ceramics Association, spoke about the important events the association has carried out in the field of art for many years in her speech titled "The Turkish Ceramics Society: Carrying the Thousands of Years of Anatolian Heritage to the Future with an International Vision".
The art session was titled “Innovative Approaches and New Technologies Beyond Boundaries in Ceramic, Glass, and Enamel Art.” It focused on contemporary approaches in ceramic art, encompassing the entire production and design process that connects different disciplines. Through researchers who utilize classical and modern techniques in unique ways, the session explored the transition from experimental techniques, randomness, and sustainability to digital ceramics, from the perspective of industrial design and ceramic art. It also included interdisciplinary approaches encompassing functional and conceptual frameworks, as well as original artistic expressions such as upcycling and recycling, using various materials (clay, slip, glaze, plaster, pigments, overglaze effects, raw materials, additives, etc.).
Guangzhen Zhou, Nagima Tyrganekovna, Prof. Duygu Kahraman
Aydın Şölenay, Güngör Güner, Emel Şölenay
The invited speakers for the artistic section of the congress were Prof. Zehra Çobanlı (President of SSEDD), Assoc. Prof. Renata Bonter Jedrzejewska (Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Poland), Prof. Anna Callouri Holcombe (USA), Kazimierz Pawlak (Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Poland), Prof. Güngör Güner, Linyao Cheng, Nagima Alamanova Tyrganekovna (National Academy of Arts of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kyrgyzstan), Ali Cihan Kayalıoğlu (Ateljé Kaja, Sweden), Guangzhen Zhou (China), Monika Naydenova (Bulgaria), and Dr. Emre Can (Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University).
Two International Exhibitions
Anadolu University Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Ceramics and Glass hosted two international exhibitions as part of the congress. The exhibitions, “Reflection: From Fire to Pixel” and “Cultural Ceramic Heritage Stamps,” opened to art lovers on October 14th. The openings, attended by international guests as well as artists and academics from various universities in Turkiye, attracted great interest.
The exhibition titled “Reflection: From Fire to Pixel” brought together two selections, one juried and one invited, consisting of works by national and international artists. The exhibition, which presented different production techniques, contemporary interpretations, and original forms of expression in ceramic and glass art to art lovers, was on display at the Anadolu University Contemporary Arts Museum until October 31st.
Another exhibition held within the scope of the congress, “Cultural Ceramic Heritage Stamps,” opened at the Faruk Atalayer Exhibition Hall of the Faculty of Fine Arts. Curated by Guangzhen Zhou, who conducts independent research on world ceramic cultural heritage, the exhibition consisted of more than 600 stamps, first-day covers, and postcards. Zhou's collection is based on more than 10 years of work and field research conducted in over 120 countries. At the exhibition opening, Zhou also gave a presentation in which he described his years of research on world ceramic heritage and the process of forming the collection. Stating that the collection received 16 letters of support from 11 countries, Zhou also mentioned that it was nominated by the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC) for the UNESCO World Memory Program.
Master Artists Shared Their Experiences
The SERES’26 workshop series, held at Anadolu University Faculty of Fine Arts, redefined the boundaries of art. Participants in the workshops – “Photocopy Transfer Technique” with Prof. Güngör Güner, “Traces in Clay” with Prof. Zehra Çobanlı, “Querda Seca” with Prof. Oya Aşan Yüksel, and “Ceramic 3D Printing” with Renata Bonter-Jędrzejewska – learned and experienced the intricacies of different techniques.
The long-standing experience of TSD in interdisciplinary fields and the strong academic background of Eskişehir Technical University in engineering, materials science, and research infrastructure ensured that the congress was held in a professional environment. The Ceramics and Glass Department of Anadolu University Faculty of Fine Arts showcased its artistic expertise through exhibitions. Eskişehir, one of Turkiye's leading educational and cultural cities, also provided congress participants with a wonderful city experience with its contemporary face and rich ceramic history.
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