Deniz Aktaş, born in 1987 in Diyarbakır (Turkey), completed his BFA at Marmara University on painting and MFA at Yeditepe University, Istanbul. In his work he captures human and environment relations affected by urban decay, environmental collapse, human migration, and the traumatic transformation of city and nature.

Selected solo and group shows include, Permafrost (curated by Vincent Honoré), La Panacée-MoCo , Montpellier, France (2020); Seventh Continent, 16th Istanbul Biennial (curated by Nicolas Bourriaud), (2019); No Man's Land (solo) artSümer, Istanbul (2018); In Pursuit of the Present, Istanbul Modern Museum, Istanbul (2018); Impossible Space (curated by Derya Yücel) Kasa Gallery, Istanbul (2017); Wider den Grautönen (curated by Ceren Erdem), Pasinger Fabrik Gmbh, Munich (2016) and Mythologies, 3rd Mardin Biennial (2015). Aktaş participated at Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris residency programme in 2016 and ARTER’s artistic research programme in 2020 in Istanbul. Aktaş is featured in the book Vitamin D3: Today's Best in Contemporary Drawing published by Phaidon Publications. Deniz Aktaş lives and works between Istanbul and Diyarbakır.

From March to December 2022, Deniz Aktaş is a resident artist in the programme Zu Gast bei Urbane Künste Ruhr in Mülheim an der Ruhr.