Born in Artvin Arhavi in 1948, Ilhami Atalay graduated from Istanbul State Fine Arts Academy in 1972. In the same year he won a residency scholarship and worked in painting and wall carpeting fields at the Berlin State Academy of Fine Arts and Applied Arts Academy between 1973 and78. In 1975, in France, in 1976, in Switzerland and in Spain, in 1977, in England, he conducted research and examination of painting, textile, and wall carpet fields.

He returned to Turkey in 1978 and worked in various state institutions for compulsory service. Between 1981 and 1983 he worked as a freelance carpet Designer in Isparta. In 1983 he returned to Istanbul and started painting. In 1984, he opened the İlhami Atalay Art Gallery in Sultanahmet and started to raise students. Then he formed the dynamism group.

Some of the works of Atalay, who participated in many exhibitions organized in Turkey and abroad since 1963 and continued to work in his Gallery, are exhibited in Special Collections.

International exhibitions and competitions he attended:

1975-78 participation in Berlin art festivals

1976 participation in the Berlin Academy collective art exhibition

1977 XII. She represented Turkey at the International Monte Carlo Art Festival

1979 Munich Exhibition at the Universal Turkish Art Congress

1985 exhibition at Galerie Stauffacher (Zurich, Switzerland)

1986 painting exhibition at the Palace de la Gare (Aix-les Bains, France)

1987”tutto” group exhibition at Gallery extra (Taranto, Italy)

1987 “Aspetti Dell Informale” group exhibition at Galeria d'arte Dimensiole (Lecce, Italy).

1988 Artisti dell’Arca  (Taranto, Italy) “Alla Luce i Fatti Larealia - La Fantasia province Quotidiano Moviment Etendenze” exhibition by the group.

1992 Painting exhibition in Château de Avrille (Anger, France)

1992 Painting exhibition at Deutsch Bank (Luwgshen Oppau, Germany)

1996 Anhui Museum and painting exhibitions in the city of Suchou as a guest of the People's Republic of China

2002 Kunst Galerie in Anatolia (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) “Anatolian breezes” group exhibition

2004 Kunst Galerie in Anatolia (Rotterdam, Netherlands) “impressions from Anatolia” group exhibition

2008 Gulf Art Fair (Dubai) family exhibition

2010 1^st. Mixed exhibition at the International Istanbul Triennial