Foreign students learn Turkish art of paper marbling

By Duygu Avunduk

TRABZON, Turkey

The Turkish art of paper marbling, or ebru, is very popular among young Turks and foreign students studying in Turkey alike.

Teaching ebru at an art school in Turkey’s Black Sea province of Trabzon, Songul Kartal is one of the many instructors trying to promote the art of water painting.

Sharing her appreciation about having foreign students, Kartal said, "They contribute on many levels. They create diversity and when they share their works on social media they are both promoting ebru and Turkey."

Kartal's students are mostly from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and they are studying at Karadeniz Technical University (KTU) in Trabzon.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Oroz Salmoorbekov from Kyrgyzstan said he first saw the art of ebru on a Turkish TV series and could not help but wonder how the paint on the water was imprinted on the paper.

"I want to open a studio when I go back to my country because no one knows ebru in Kyrgyzstan," said Salmoorbekov.

Kazakh student Madina Abdullaeva said: "I first met ebru in an elective course. People do this art on carpets in my country but paper marbling is unknown."

"So I wish to continue doing this when I go back. I am relaxed by the colors when I am doing water painting. Painting on water instead of a paper is quite exciting," said Abdullaeva.

Another ebru enthusiast Anastasiya Celik from Uzbekistan said she moved to Trabzon after getting married to a Turkish national and she saw the making of ebru in a documentary.

"I was watching a documentary with my husband and I saw ebru art. We searched a place to learn it and found Songul and this art school," said Celik.

Reporting by Duygu AVunduk:Writing by Busra Nur Bilgic