Born in 1975 in Istanbul Turkey, Assoc. Prof. Elif Cimen studied painting and printmaking in Mimar Sinan University at the Faculty of Fine Arts. Upon completing her bachelor’s degree, she continued to obtain her master’s degree and eventually PhD in Fine Arts from the same university. Cimen has participated in several local and international joint exhibitions including group presentations with the Collective "216 Space for Idea and Production", and has held five solo exhibitions, one of which was during the International UIA Istanbul Convention. She recently participated in the Beijing Biennale 2008 and Olympic Fine Arts 2008. She has presented her papers in several national and international symposiums and conventions. Her articles have been published in various periodicals. Since 2006, she teaches drawing, basic design, and painting in Faculty of Fine Arts, Balikesir University, and is the head of the Painting Department. She is also a board member of OFAA, and has been participating in OFAA’s joint exhibition organizations including Sarajevo, Banja Luka, and Jakarta.