Nilsu Eris

 

Nilsu Eris, born on 8 December 2003 in Miami and currently based in Istanbul, is an emotional expressionist who uses drawing to explore her inner world. Her work focuses on characters that represent parts of her identity, her experiences with borderline emotions, and the stories she cannot fully express through words. Each drawing has its own name and story, forming a small universe that reflects different emotional states and memories from her life. At fourteen, Eris moved to England for boarding school, studying first at Cheltenham College, where she completed her GCSEs, and later at ISCA International School of Creative Arts, where she earned her A Levels. During this time, she also attended summer courses at Chelsea College of Art, focusing on drawing and painting, and at Central Saint Martins, where she studied silversmithing and jewellery making. Living abroad for five years deeply influenced her sense of self and the emotional themes she explores in her work. After completing her studies, Eris received an offer from a university abroad. However, due to her mental health struggles at the time, she made the difficult decision to reject the offer and return home. This meant leaving her education midway, but it opened the door to focusing on her wellbeing and beginning a long-term therapy journey that shaped her artistic direction. Although she initially studied jewellery and fashion design, Eris taught herself how to draw. Her visual language developed naturally, without formal art training, giving her work an unfiltered, personal, and emotionally direct quality. She is also the founder of Mad Enough, a creative and mental wellbeing space in Istanbul that connects her interest in emotional health, community, and art. The project serves as both a physical space and a reflection of her evolving practice. Eris’s drawings combine personal memories, emotional states, and character-based storytelling. Through these individual stories, she explores identity, instability, growth, and the ongoing process of healing.

​

Artist Statement

My artwork explores the shifting layers of identity, emotion, and perception. I work primarily in digital form, drawing on my iPad and later printing each piece on photographic paper, sealed under plexiglass. Using a limited palette of black, gray, and pink against clean white backgrounds, I merge surrealism and abstraction to reflect the contrasts within my inner world. Each piece represents a different version of myself — a distinct mood or personality — and becomes a way of expressing what I can’t put into words. Every drawing carries its own name and story, some brief and instinctive, others deep and unfolding, all revealing fragments of my mind in motion.

​