WE LOST THE LIVING HUMAN TREASURE HAMZA USTUNKAYA

Kutahya tile artist Hamza Ustunkaya, who was awarded the "Living Human Treasure Award" in 2020, has passed away at the age of 78. He brought new techniques to tile art with his tireless work and research throughout his life and received various awards.

Kutahya tile artist Hamza UstUnkaya, who dedicated his life to preserving, developing, and passing down traditional Turkish tile art to future generations, passed away on October 31. Ustunkaya, who was awarded the title of "Living Human Treasure" by the UNESCO Scientific Board in 2020, received his award from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Hamza Ustunkaya was one of our leading tile artists, included in the collections of various art centers in our country and around the world. He developed his own style through the experience he gained from the masters and tile makers of Kutahya, especially his father, Haci Mehmet Ustunkaya, and through lessons he took from prominent teachers such as Muhsin Demironat and Nezihe Bilgutay Derler. Throughout his life, his tireless work and research brought new techniques to the art of tile making and earned him numerous awards. The Tile Design and Application Workshop, opened at Kutahya Dumlupinar University in 2023, was named him. His patterns were compiled into a book by the same university and published by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The book, titled "Kutahya Patterns with Hamza Ustunkaya Designs," features 250 of his patterns, which had never been applied before. The artist is thought to have over seven thousand designs in his pattern archive.