Nurettin Erkan graduated in 1993 from the Department of Painting at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. While still a student, he held his first solo exhibition in 1992 at the Istanbul Press Museum. That same year, he founded the Akdeniz School of Fine Arts, where he began teaching painting. Approximately 1,500 students received art education in his workshops; many of them later pursued professional careers in the field of art, both in Turkey and abroad.

In 2005, he was elected to the executive board of the Turkey National Committee of the International Association of Plastic Arts, affiliated with UNESCO. During this period, he curated large-scale exhibitions both at the association’s gallery and as part of the TÜYAP Istanbul Art Fair, one of the most significant art fairs in the region and in Europe. At TÜYAP, he also exhibited a monumental painting-installation measuring 6.5 x 25 meters, created in memory of the civilians who lost their lives in massacres against the Kurdish people. In addition to these exhibitions, he organized conferences and art workshops, and wrote critical texts for exhibition catalogues.

In 2006, he was invited to participate with his works in the 5th International Drawing Biennial. The works he prepared for the biennial were exhibited at the West Bohemian Museum. Before moving to the United States, he exhibited large-scale conceptual painting-installation works at various biennials and art fairs, including Istanbul Contemporary and TÜYAP Art Fair.

To date, Erkan has exhibited his work in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Greece, the United Kingdom, France, Moldova, and the United States. His works are included in important collections, and his writings and interviews have been published in numerous newspapers and art magazines. The artist currently lives and works in Madison, United States.