Contemporary Blue-and-White: Ming Dynasty-Inspired Ceramics by Award-Winning Turkish Potters

Description

İznik pottery was named after the town of İznik, where local craftsmen developed simple earthenware pottery into a more sophisticated manufacture of glazed ceramics painted with cobalt blue patterns since the last quarter of the 15th century.

This modern form of production matured under the patronage of the Ottoman court in Istanbul, which traded with China and greatly valued their blue-and-white porcelain. As a result of this trade, the iconography of İznik ceramics combined traditional Ottoman arabesque patterns with Chinese motifs. Up to this day, artists remain true to traditional design sources by creating objects that relate to cultural exchanges from the time of the Ming dynasty.

This free exhibition showcases the works of Gürsoy (b. 1950), who was recognised as a UNESCO Living Human Treasure in 2010, and Olçar, a younger artist who has continued the renowned workshop and ceramic style of her late father Sıtkı Olçar, who received the same prestigious UNESCO award in 2008.

[Photo: Plate with ‘Piri Reis’ map (detail), 2003, by Nida Olçar – Courtesy of the artist]