C. M. Kösemen
Cevdet Mehmet Kösemen (born 1984), known professionally as C. M. Kösemen and formerly under the pen name Nemo Ramjet, is a Turkish artist, author, and independent researcher based in Istanbul, specializing in paleoart, speculative evolution, and surreal depictions of prehistoric, extant, and imaginary life forms.[1] His work challenges conventional reconstructions in paleontology by emphasizing anatomical speculation, soft-tissue variation, and behavioral diversity in extinct animals, often drawing from first-hand anatomical study and evolutionary principles to propose alternatives to rigid, shrink-wrapped skeletal models.[2] Kösemen's artistic output spans digital and traditional media, including illustrations for scientific publications, advertising, and personal projects that blend empirical observation with imaginative extrapolation.[1] Kösemen gained prominence through collaborations and solo publications that redefined paleoartistic approaches. He co-authored All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals (2012) with John Conway and Darren Naish, a volume that critiques anthropocentric biases in dinosaur depictions and advocates for more avian-inspired, fleshy interpretations based on comparative anatomy.[3] Independently, he authored All Tomorrows: The Myriad Species and Mixed Fortunes of Man (online 2006; print 2025), a speculative narrative tracing humanity's genetic modification and diversification over billions of years by advanced aliens, which has amassed over 14 million audiobook listens and influenced discussions on long-term evolutionary trajectories.[4] Earlier, under Nemo Ramjet, he developed the Snaiad project, an online speculative biology worldbuilding exercise depicting an alien planet's tetrapod-like fauna evolved under unique environmental pressures.[5] Beyond visual art, Kösemen's research extends to historical and cultural documentation, as seen in Osman Hasan and the Tombstone Photographs of the Dönmes (Libra Books, Istanbul), which earned the Eduard-Duckesz History Prize for its analysis of Ottoman-era crypto-Jewish photography.[1] He holds degrees from Cornell University, Sabancı University, and a master's from Goldsmiths College, London, and has worked as an editor for Benetton's Colors magazine and international ad agencies.[1] His influence is marked by honors such as the 2023 naming of the grasshopper species Naskreckiana kosemeni after him, and exhibitions of his surreal works in cities including London, Istanbul, and Tel Aviv.[1] Kösemen maintains an active online presence through his website and blog, fostering communities interested in rigorous yet creative biological speculation.[6]Early Life and Education
Childhood and Influences in Turkey
Cevdet Mehmet Kösemen was born in Ankara, Turkey, in 1984.[1] From childhood, he displayed a keen curiosity for strange creatures, immersing himself in books on dinosaurs, reptiles, insects, and natural history, which ignited his interest in biology and speculative forms.[7] This early fascination with zoology and evolutionary principles prompted him to sketch imaginative hybrids, such as a polar bear evolving into a shark-manatee-like sea creature equipped with fins and short claws after millions of years.[7] Kösemen's formative environment in Turkey included exposure to diverse natural biodiversity and family traditions rooted in local folklore, including rituals like leaving offerings for figures such as Taktakçı Baba, a spectral entity tied to historical narratives.[8] His mixed heritage—encompassing Bektashi Turks, Balkan Muslims, and Dönme ancestry—provided a backdrop of cultural realism intertwined with surreal elements, shaping his predisposition toward blending empirical observation with creative speculation.[8] These influences manifested in self-taught hobbies of drawing extinct animals and invented species, derived from personal readings rather than structured guidance.[7] One such childhood endeavor involved doodling alien fauna on a fictional planet named Snai-3, which later evolved into more developed speculative projects.[9] This grounded approach emphasized anatomical plausibility drawn from wildlife and paleontological texts, prioritizing causal mechanisms of evolution over abstract ideologies.[7]Academic Training
Kösemen completed his secondary education at VKV Koç High School in Istanbul from 1996 to 2002, earning an International Baccalaureate diploma with high honors.[10] His curriculum there emphasized rigorous preparation in sciences and humanities, laying an early interdisciplinary groundwork.[11] He then attended Cornell University from 2002 to 2003, where he took undergraduate-level courses in biology, film, and history.[10] These studies introduced empirical approaches to anatomy, evolutionary biology, and visual narrative techniques, fostering a foundation in evidence-based representation essential for later speculative illustrations.[10] Subsequently, Kösemen pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts and Communication Design at Sabancı University in Istanbul from 2003 to 2007, honing skills in artistic rendering and design principles informed by biological accuracy.[10] In 2007, he enrolled at Goldsmiths, University of London, completing a Master of Arts in Digital Media in 2008 with a graduation project focused on screen documentary.[10] This program emphasized media theory and production methods, equipping him to convey complex, empirically derived speculative concepts through structured visual and narrative frameworks rather than purely abstract forms.[10]Artistic Development
Early Artistic Output
Kösemen initiated his artistic endeavors under the pseudonym Nemo Ramjet in the early to mid-2000s, sharing experimental illustrations via online platforms such as DeviantArt, where he established a presence around 2002. These debut works encompassed surreal depictions of bizarre creatures and anthropomorphic mutations, prioritizing observational detail derived from biological forms to subvert habitual representational norms.[12][13] By 2006, Kösemen's self-published online illustrations extended to speculative anatomical reconstructions, such as dinosauroids, which integrated fossil-informed accuracy to critique anthropocentric projections onto prehistoric life, favoring evidence-based morphology over stylized conventions. This phase highlighted a commitment to empirical observation, evident in renderings that emphasized structural fidelity drawn from direct studies of anatomy and paleontological references.[14][15] The evolution from pure surrealism toward biologically grounded experimentation culminated in initial public displays around 2010, including the group exhibition "Newcomers" at Edisyon Gallery in Istanbul, Turkey, marking his entry into formal artistic circuits while retaining an focus on unconventional, observation-driven portrayals.[10]Emergence in Paleoart and Speculative Illustration
Following his initial artistic experiments in surrealism and speculative biology, Kösemen transitioned into paleoart around the early 2010s, producing illustrations of dinosaurs and other prehistoric fauna that incorporated speculative anatomical variations informed by osteological evidence and principles of evolutionary morphology.[16] This shift emphasized reconstructions that avoided the "shrink-wrapped" aesthetic—where skin clings tightly to visible bone—prevalent in earlier depictions, instead prioritizing plausible soft-tissue configurations derived from comparative anatomy of extant vertebrates.[5] Kösemen's methodology typically began with detailed skeletal references, often sourced from peer-reviewed paleontological descriptions, to establish proportional accuracy before layering speculative elements such as integumentary structures or behavioral poses grounded in biomechanical feasibility.[16] He employed both digital tools for precise modeling and traditional media like pencil and ink for exploratory sketches, allowing for iterations that explored "hidden possibilities" in extinct taxa, such as feathered or frilled morphologies not directly evidenced by fossils but consistent with developmental and ecological analogies.[2] This approach critiqued overly deterministic reconstructions by demonstrating, through parallel illustrations of modern animals (e.g., emaciated zebras or hippos rendered from skeletal data alone), how incomplete fossil records could lead to misinterpretations if speculation is constrained.[5] Collaborations with paleontologists and fellow illustrators during this period facilitated integration of empirical datasets, including advanced imaging of specimens, to refine depictions beyond conventional lizard-like tropes toward more dynamically varied forms reflective of evolutionary contingency.[17] By 2015, Kösemen's standalone paleoart pieces, showcased via online portfolios and niche publications, gained international recognition for bridging scientific rigor with imaginative reconstruction, influencing discussions on the interpretive limits of fossil evidence.[2]Major Works in Speculative Biology
All Yesterdays
All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals is a 2012 art book co-authored by C. M. Kösemen, John Conway, and Darren Naish, featuring over 60 original illustrations that reconstruct dinosaurs and other prehistoric vertebrates in unconventional forms and behaviors.[18][19] The publication critiques standard paleoart practices for perpetuating "shrink-wrapped" depictions—where fossils are interpreted as overly muscular and rigid—by demonstrating how incomplete skeletal data can lead to diverse, anatomically plausible alternatives when informed by extant animal variability.[20] Self-published via Lulu Press on November 6, 2012, the book employs a methodology centered on "speculative zoology," involving anatomical dissections of modern vertebrates to extrapolate soft-tissue possibilities onto fossil taxa, such as envisioning theropods with extensive, flexible integumentary structures enabling arboreal or aquatic adaptations.[21][22] Central to the work are experimental reconstructions grounded in peer-reviewed principles of evolutionary morphology, including reinterpretations of fossils like Psittacosaurus to include speculative cranial ornaments or Troodon in poses mimicking mammalian grooming, supported by evidence from comparative osteology and myology rather than pure imagination.[20] These illustrations challenge paleoart norms by highlighting how fossil preservation biases toward durable hard tissues obscure the full range of prehistoric phenotypic diversity, drawing parallels to hidden soft-anatomy features in birds and reptiles today.[23] The authors emphasize rigorous musculoskeletal modeling as a prerequisite for such speculations, ensuring deviations from consensus views remain tethered to empirical data on joint limits, muscle attachments, and biomechanical feasibility.[20] Subsequent reprints maintained the original content, while a 2017 updated edition by Kösemen incorporated empirical responses to methodological critiques, reinforcing that informed speculation enhances rather than undermines fidelity to fossil evidence by accounting for evolutionary contingencies like developmental plasticity.[22] This approach underscores the book's evidential foundation in dissecting over 20 modern species to analogize prehistoric forms, promoting a paradigm where paleoart prioritizes causal mechanisms of adaptation over stereotypical restorations.[24]Snaiad Project
The Snaiad project constitutes C. M. Kösemen's speculative zoology initiative, constructing a comprehensive natural history for the fictional exoplanet Snaiad, an Earth-analog world hosting divergent alien fauna. Begun in the mid-2000s, with initial concepts dating to 2005 and a primary digital iteration finalized in 2008, it functions as an intellectual exercise in evolutionary contingency, probing how chance-driven adaptations might yield biodiversity on a habitable planet without terrestrial precedents dictating outcomes.[25][26] Snaiad's lifeforms, particularly its "vertebrates," originate from a unified ancestral body plan but manifest unique traits absent on Earth, including a bifurcated head structure—one for locomotion and reproduction, the other for feeding—and silicate-based, liquidless eyes. These entities demonstrate convergent parallels to Earth taxa, such as aquatic Jetocetes echoing cetaceans, alongside novel lineages like Polydactyls and Turtiformes, which populate adaptive radiations across continental and oceanic biomes. The project's taxonomy avoids teleological progression toward intelligence, emphasizing stochastic ecological pressures over narrative imperatives.[26][27] Development relies on phylogenetic cladograms sketched by hand to map interspecies relations and ensure biomechanical coherence, progressing to preliminary doodles, pencil outlines on Bristol paper for anatomical detailing, and Photoshop-based colorization incorporating layered textures for realism. This methodology prioritizes evolutionary plausibility through relational branching rather than simulated dynamics, yielding representative illustrations of clades encompassing thousands of implied species variants, though focused on key exemplars.[28][29] Presented initially as an online encyclopedia, Snaiad has undergone reconstructions and expansions into the 2020s, incorporating additional phyla and historical vignettes while maintaining its empirical focus on biological realism. Kösemen intends to consolidate the work into a printed book by decade's end, distinct from fiction by its dedication to unconstrained evolutionary modeling.[25][26]All Tomorrows
All Tomorrows is a speculative biology work authored and illustrated by C. M. Kösemen under the pen name Nemo Ramjet, first released as a free online PDF in October 2006.[4] The book presents a chronicle spanning billions of years, tracing humanity's trajectory from interstellar colonization to subjugation by an advanced alien species called the Qu, who radically alter human genetics to produce a multitude of post-human forms.[4] These modifications range from tool-wielding semi-sentients to predatory or sessile organisms, with subsequent evolution driven by natural selection on diverse planetary environments, culminating in cycles of extinction, resurgence, and cosmic dissemination of life.[4] The narrative integrates evolutionary realism by portraying directed genetic engineering as a catalyst for divergence, followed by undirected adaptation amid indifferent cosmic events, rejecting assumptions of inevitable progress or preservation of human traits.[4] Illustrations depict these post-humans with anatomical details evoking mutagenesis and morphological experimentation, emphasizing probabilistic outcomes over teleological design.[4] Elements such as panspermia-like seeding of microbial life by advanced descendants underscore causal chains linking genetic variation, ecological pressures, and galactic-scale dispersal.[4] Originally self-published digitally, the work gained renewed attention in 2021 following a viral YouTube adaptation, prompting a 2024 Kickstarter campaign that raised over £9,000 from 276 backers for its inaugural English print edition.[30] This expanded version, set for 2025 release by Wilton Square Books, incorporates updated text, grammar revisions, bonus species commentaries, and previously unpublished artwork, enhancing the original's speculative depth without altering core events.[4][30]Writings and Scholarly Contributions
Essays on Paleoart
Kösemen has produced several non-fiction essays and tutorials critiquing established practices in paleoart, emphasizing reconstructions grounded in empirical fossil data rather than unchecked artistic extrapolation. In these writings, he challenges the prevalence of conservative depictions that adhere rigidly to skeletal outlines, often resulting in "shrink-wrapped" animals with minimal soft tissue variation, and advocates for incorporating evidence of preserved integument, musculature, and pigmentation from specimens such as feathered theropods and ornithischian skin impressions.[16][31] A cornerstone of his critique appears in the textual accompaniment to All Yesterdays (2012), co-authored with John Conway and Darren Naish, where Kösemen argues that traditional paleoart underestimates anatomical diversity by projecting modern reptilian stereotypes onto prehistoric taxa, neglecting comparative anatomy from extant archosaurs and mammals that reveal hidden features like fleshy wattles, adipose layers, or ornamental structures not preserved in most fossils. He supports this with examples of fossil soft tissues, such as the filamentous coverings in Sinosauropteryx and Yutyrannus, urging artists to prioritize verifiable variability over uniform, scale-clad models. This approach promotes "speculative yet constrained" illustrations that explore plausible morphologies within biomechanical limits, countering what he terms overly rigid conservatism that stifles scientific imagination.[22] In his 2017 tutorial "A Tutorial for Illustrating Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals," Kösemen extends these principles into practical guidance, decrying "Disneyfied" simplifications—such as static, anthropomorphized poses or exaggerated, cartoon-like proportions—that prioritize visual appeal over anatomical fidelity. Drawing on biomechanics, he recommends dynamic posing informed by skeletal leverage and muscle attachment sites, as seen in his layered reconstruction of Brachytrachelopan with speculative nasal bosses and vocal sacs justified by sauropod vertebral flexibility and modern analogs like proboscideans. He further critiques behavioral uniformity in paleoart, advocating diversity derived from first-principles analysis of locomotor capabilities and ecological niches, evidenced by comparisons to variable modern taxa like tapirs or equids, to depict credible, non-clichéd interactions.[16] These essays, spanning 2012 to 2017, have influenced paleoart discourse by highlighting systemic biases toward minimalism in reconstructions, prompting a gradual shift toward evidence-integrated speculation in peer discussions and subsequent works, though not without pushback from advocates of stricter skeletal literalism. Kösemen's emphasis on soft tissue preservation—citing over 20 theropod specimens with integumentary data—and cross-phylum analogies underscores a causal framework where bone alone predicts only gross form, requiring empirical augmentation for holistic accuracy.[32][33]Cultural and Historical Analyses
Kösemen has produced scholarly works examining the cultural history of minority communities in the late Ottoman Empire, particularly the Dönmes—crypto-Jewish Sabbateans who maintained distinct artistic and social practices amid broader Islamic and Turkish societal structures. In his 2014 book Osman Hasan and the Tombstone Photographs of the Dönmes, he catalogs and analyzes photographic documentation of Dönme gravestones in Istanbul's Bülbülderesi cemetery, attributing most images to the Dönme artist Osman Hasan and using them to reconstruct the community's visual symbolism and funerary customs from the early 20th century.[4] This empirical approach relies on primary archival photographs and footnotes detailing local historical contexts, countering narratives that minimize or romanticize the Dönmes' role by demonstrating their integration of Judaic motifs into Ottoman-era stonework without ideological overlay.[34] Expanding on interpersonal dynamics, Kösemen's 2016 academic article "Relations Between Jews and Dönmes in the Late Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic" draws from contemporary published accounts and oral histories to map evolving alliances and tensions between Ottoman Jews and Sabbatean descendants through the empire's dissolution and into the Republican era.[35] The analysis privileges verifiable interactions—such as shared economic networks in Salonika and Istanbul—over speculative ethnic essentialism, highlighting how archival records reveal pragmatic adaptations rather than the essentialized conflicts often amplified in post-1923 nationalist historiography.[36] This work, originally presented as a 2015 lecture, underscores causal factors like imperial decline and minority marginalization, informed by cross-referenced Ottoman court documents and periodicals. In parallel, Kösemen's explorations of Turkish folklore emphasize biological and natural motifs in vernacular art, grounding them in historical continuity rather than ahistorical myth-making. His 2022 book Forests of the Afterlife: Folk Art and Symbolism in Village Cemeteries of Turkey's Bodrum-Milas Peninsula dissects tree and forest imagery on rural gravestones, linking these to pre-Ottoman Anatolian traditions via field surveys and comparative iconography from Hellenistic and Byzantine sources.[4] By cataloging over 500 examples with photographic evidence, the study traces how such symbols reflect localized environmental perceptions—evident in motifs of cypress groves symbolizing eternity—challenging modern interpretations that impose ideological uniformity on diverse regional practices.[37] Published through Turkish presses like Libra Kitapçılık, these circa-2010s outputs prioritize primary data to illuminate cultural persistence amid political upheavals.Tangent Realms Documentary
Creation and Themes
Tangent Realms: The Worlds of C.M. Kösemen was directed by filmmaker Kevin Schreck, known for prior documentaries such as Persistence of Vision, with production commencing in 2016 through crowdfunding on Indiegogo and including final shooting phases in Istanbul during October of that year, followed by post-production leading to its 2018 premiere.[38][39] The film employs interviews and studio footage to trace Kösemen's development from a Turkish visual artist in his late 20s or early 30s to an international figure in speculative illustration, emphasizing his relocation and maturation within global creative circles.[38] Distribution was limited to a special edition Blu-ray/DVD set with bonus materials exceeding 2.5 hours and on-demand streaming via Vimeo.[40][41] Central to the documentary's exploration is Kösemen's creative philosophy, which interrogates hypothetical scenarios through the recurring motif of "What If...?", probing alternate evolutionary paths, personal histories, and future possibilities by integrating empirical scientific principles with surrealistic invention.[38][42] This approach manifests in depictions of vast cosmic realms intertwined with intimate, autobiographical elements, where natural history merges with mythological constructs to challenge conventional boundaries between evidence-based reconstruction and imaginative divergence.[42] Behind-the-scenes segments delve into key projects like the Snaiad ecosystem of engineered alien lifeforms and All Tomorrows, a speculative chronicle of human post-evolution, illustrating Kösemen's method of grounding fantastical narratives in anatomical and ecological plausibility.[43][44]Impact and Availability
Tangent Realms has played a key role in broadening awareness of Kösemen's speculative evolution concepts through its focus on his artistic methodology and visualization of alternate biological histories.[42] By chronicling his process from sketches to fully realized worlds, the film bridges speculative biology with accessible visual storytelling, appealing to audiences interested in surrealism and paleoart.[38] This approach has fostered niche discussions in online communities dedicated to speculative fiction, where the documentary serves as an entry point to Kösemen's oeuvre.[45] Post-release festival screenings in 2018, including at venues like Spectacle Theater, contributed to initial visibility, culminating in awards such as Best Documentary at Cleveland's Indie Gathering International Film Festival.[46] These events preceded sustained interest tied to Kösemen's rising profile, with promotional materials linking the film to his seminal work All Tomorrows.[47] Empirical measures of influence include its integration into fan analyses of speculative evolution, evidenced by community queries and references in project updates for Kösemen's publications.[48] In terms of accessibility, Tangent Realms became available for worldwide streaming on Vimeo On Demand starting April 5, 2019, offering 24-hour rentals or permanent purchases with English subtitles.[41] A limited-edition Blu-ray/DVD set followed in July 2021, featuring over 2.5 hours of bonus content and tying into crowdfunding momentum for All Tomorrows' print edition, which launched on Kickstarter in August 2025.[30] This physical release remains commercially obtainable via the official website, ensuring ongoing availability for collectors and researchers in speculative art.[40]Reception, Influence, and Criticisms
Achievements in Speculative Evolution
Kösemen co-authored All Yesterdays (2012), which advanced speculative evolution by advocating reconstructions of prehistoric animals that incorporate extensive soft tissues, display behaviors, and anatomical features analogous to those in modern taxa, thereby critiquing overly rigid, skeleton-derived paleoart traditions.[10] This empirical approach, rooted in comparative biology, prompted paleoartists to explore biologically plausible variations beyond conservative interpretations, influencing subsequent works in paleontological illustration.[20] The companion volume All Your Yesterdays (2013), edited by Kösemen, extended this methodology through an open call for speculative artwork, resulting in a curated collection that won Global eBook Awards for Best Illustration in Non-Fiction and Best Non-Fiction, recognizing its role in elevating imaginative yet evidence-informed depictions of extinct life.[10] These efforts established Kösemen as a key figure in integrating artistic speculation with evolutionary principles, as seen in collaborative exhibits like All Todays at the 2011 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting.[10] Kösemen's All Tomorrows (2006) further demonstrated achievements by chronicling hypothetical post-human evolutionary trajectories driven by genetic engineering, natural selection, and ecological pressures across billions of years, reviving interest in the speculative evolution genre and inspiring community-driven extensions that apply Mendelian genetics and phylogenetic branching. Its impact is evident in dedicated online forums and wikis where enthusiasts develop derivative timelines adhering to causal evolutionary mechanisms.[49] A 2022 solo exhibition, Speculative Evolution: the Art of C. M. Kosemen, underscored this legacy by showcasing integrated artistic and biological explorations of alternate biospheres.[10]Debates in the Paleoart Community
The publication of All Yesterdays in 2012, co-authored by C. M. Kösemen with John Conway and Darren Naish, ignited discussions within the paleoart community about balancing anatomical fidelity with imaginative reconstruction. The book critiqued prevailing "shrink-wrapped" depictions—where skin tightly conforms to visible skeletal elements—as overly conservative and clichéd, citing fossil evidence such as skin impressions in specimens like Psittacosaurus and Edmontosaurus that demonstrate substantial soft-tissue padding, wattled features, and integumentary structures invisible in bones.[50][51] This evidence-based push expanded permissible reconstruction possibilities, encouraging artists to incorporate diverse behaviors and morphologies drawn from modern analogs, such as elaborate display structures in birds or hidden fat reserves in mammals, to avoid repetitive tropes like predatory confrontations.[50] Critics contended that All Yesterdays risked promoting excessive speculation, potentially eroding public trust in paleoart's scientific value by prioritizing artistic license over verifiable data. In a December 2012 blog post, paleoartist Mark Witton analyzed the book's implications, agreeing on the flaws of conservative approaches but cautioning against interpretations that foster a "devil-may-care" attitude toward uncertainty, where lack of direct evidence justifies unbound creativity and could disseminate misleading images as factual.[33][52] Similar concerns surfaced in contemporaneous online forums and reviews, highlighting how unchecked "weird" anatomies might confuse lay audiences about empirical limits, echoing broader tensions between paleoart's educational role and its interpretive freedom.[33] Kösemen countered these accusations by advocating reconstructions rooted in biological principles and testable anatomical feasibility, rather than arbitrary invention, as elaborated in his 2017 book All Your Yesterdays. There, he and collaborators like Naish emphasized that all paleoart entails speculation—evident even in "accurate" works reliant on fragmentary fossils—and that principled deviations, informed by functional morphology and extant comparators, better capture evolutionary plausibility than rigid conservatism.[22] Community-driven initiatives, such as the 2012–2013 All Yesterdays art contest, served as empirical validations, with submissions rigorously evaluated for biomechanical viability (e.g., weight distribution and joint mechanics in speculative theropods), demonstrating that many unconventional forms withstand scrutiny and counter the notion of over-speculation as inherently unreliable.[22][23] These rebuttals underscored a consensus among proponents that evidence from taphonomy and comparative anatomy supports broadening interpretive scope without abandoning causal constraints.[22]Broader Cultural Impact
Kösemen's All Tomorrows (2006) has permeated science fiction and horror communities through its unflinching portrayal of post-human evolution, featuring grotesque, genetically engineered descendants of humanity that evoke body horror akin to Lovecraftian cosmic indifference. The work's narrative of alien-induced speciation over billions of years has sparked discussions on existential resilience and biological adaptability, positioning it as a seminal text in speculative evolution that prioritizes empirical extrapolation over moral allegory.[53] Its influence extends to challenging anthropocentric views in genre fiction, with readers citing its vivid illustrations as catalysts for rethinking human identity amid interstellar threats.[54] Exhibitions of Kösemen's paleoart and speculative works have facilitated cross-cultural exchanges, notably his vendor booth at DinoCon 2025 in Exeter, United Kingdom, where he offered original impressionistic pieces depicting prehistoric life.[55] This event, held August 16–17, 2025, showcased his Turkish-rooted artistic style to international audiences, empirically linking Eastern speculative traditions—rooted in Ottoman-era natural history illustrations—with Western paleoart conventions.[56] Such appearances underscore a tangible bridging of geographic divides in visual speculation on extinct and hypothetical biota. Kösemen's online presence, particularly via Instagram (@cmkosemen), has cultivated a global network of amateur enthusiasts in paleoart and speculative biology, with posts amassing thousands of engagements on anatomical reconstructions grounded in fossil evidence.[57] This digital dissemination has democratized access to rigorous methods in reconstructing prehistoric behaviors, inspiring verifiable amateur efforts worldwide without reliance on institutional gatekeeping.[58]Recent Developments
Post-2020 Projects and Publications
In July 2024, C. M. Kösemen initiated a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter through publisher Unbound for the first English-language physical edition of his 2006 speculative evolution work All Tomorrows, achieving funding success with backers supporting production costs exceeding the initial goal.[30] The edition, slated for 2025 release, incorporates newly revised illustrations derived from updated evolutionary simulations, alongside textual revisions for clarity and expanded content on posthuman speciation pathways.[59] Kösemen has iteratively expanded the Snaiad worldbuilding project via online updates to its dedicated website, integrating contemporary paleontological evidence—such as exceptional soft-tissue fossil preservations in marine invertebrates—to refine depictions of alien faunal anatomies and ecologies.[25] These enhancements include sample book pages previewing a forthcoming print volume, featuring diagrammatic cross-sections of mullojiform 'fish' clades with flattened body plans adapted for omnidirectional aquatic predation, emphasizing biomechanical realism over prior iterations.[9] From early 2024 onward, Kösemen has hosted live art streams on Twitch under the handle KOSEMENCM, prioritizing real-time anatomical dissections and creature prototyping sessions that yield digital outputs shared publicly.[60] Notable among these are 2025 releases of speculative fish illustrations, such as prow-nosed cuttlesharks exhibiting void-adapted propulsion, distributed via his platforms to demonstrate iterative design processes grounded in comparative vertebrate morphology.[2]Exhibitions and Collaborations
In 2024, Kösemen undertook an art residency facilitated by ArtNivo, a contemporary art platform in Istanbul, producing a series of surreal landscapes titled Surreal Landscapes from Assos and Its Surroundings.[61] These acrylic-on-paper works, measuring 39 x 50 cm, integrate paleo-inspired elements with dreamlike Turkish coastal motifs, made available through ArtNivo's online gallery for public exhibition and sale.[62] At DinoCon 2025, held in Exeter, UK, from August 16–17, Kösemen maintained a stand showcasing his paleoart and speculative evolution illustrations, engaging attendees including paleontologists and artists in discussions on anatomical speculation.[56] This event facilitated collaborations with researchers, such as validations of theropod morphology in his depictions, drawing on fossil evidence presented alongside prints.[63] Concurrently, Everything Dinosaur received personally signed paleoart pieces from Kösemen, including illustrations of pterosaurs like Yi qi, which were highlighted in their September 2025 blog post for their fidelity to osteological data.[64][65] In publishing, after Unbound's administration in early 2025 disrupted print plans for All Tomorrows, Kösemen partnered with Wilton Square to release a definitive edition, incorporating high-resolution reproductions of his original illustrations to preserve anatomical accuracy derived from empirical skeletal references.[66] This collaboration, announced on August 26, 2025, exceeded 3,000 pre-orders from the prior campaign, emphasizing verifiable speculative designs over artistic liberty.[67]Bibliography
Speculative Biology and Paleoart
- All Tomorrows: A Billion Year Chronicle of the Myriad Species and Mixed Fortunes of Man (2006, self-published under pseudonym Nemo Ramjet; expanded English-language print edition released August 25, 2025).[4][68]
- All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals (2012, co-authored with John Conway and Darren Naish; self-published art book featuring over 60 original illustrations challenging conventional paleoart reconstructions).[4][3]
- Cryptozoologicon Volume I (2013, co-authored with John Conway and Darren Naish; speculative evolutionary biology of cryptids presented as fictional taxa).[4]
- Snaiad: The Natural History of an Alien Planet (ongoing digital project since circa 2008, featuring cladograms, sketches, maps, and full-color paintings of speculative exobiology on a fictional exoplanet).[25][28]
- Standalone paleoart illustrations of modern animals rendered in prehistoric styles (digital and traditional media collections, including 2025 releases showcased at events like DinoCon UK).[2][55]
- Contributions to edited volumes on evolutionary art, including illustrations in speculative biology anthologies and paleoart compilations emphasizing unconventional anatomical interpretations.[4]