Salih Balakbabalar

Salih Balakbabalar was born in Tokat in 1950. He graduated from the Department of Turkish Language and Literature in the Faculty of Letters at Istanbul University, and from the Istanbul Turkish Music State Conservatory. From 1977 to 1988, he taught literature at several high schools. From 1989-1995, Balakbabalar served as a lecturer in the Faculty of Theology at Marmara University. In 1996, he transferred to the Department of Traditional Turkish Handicrafts in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Marmara University and taught mother-of-pearl inlaid work, Ottoman Turkish, and traditional printing blocks. Balakbabalar has participated in many exhibitions in Turkey and abroad, and his works can be seen in various private museums and collections. In 2013, he received the Culture and Arts Grand Award from the Turkish President Abdullah Gül in Ankara. Currently, Balakbabalar continues teaching at Marmara University, and works at his own workshop in Istanbul.

Reference: sedefkarsalih.com, ktsv.com.tr