Artist moving from Istanbul to Urla transforms the street with mosaics
After relocating from Istanbul to Urla, artist Özlem Mahmutoğlu was introduced to mosaic art for the first time and brought color to street manhole covers and planters.
Artist Özlem Mahmutoğlu, who moved from Istanbul to Urla last year, learned mosaic art and brightened ordinary surfaces and manhole covers in her neighborhood. Inspired by the nature of Urla, this public art project attracted great interest from local residents.
The journey stretching from Istanbul to Urla
Residing in Kadıköy, Istanbul for many years, artist Özlem Mahmutoğlu opened a new chapter in her life by moving to Urla last year. Moving away from Istanbul's concrete structure to embrace the nature of Urla, the artist drew great inspiration from the atmosphere here.
First encounter with mosaic art
Having never made mosaics before, Mahmutoğlu took action with the desire to beautify old and worn-out surfaces on the street. Reaching out to the Güneş Mosaic Workshop and receiving training in techniques and materials, the artist produced her first work after three days of work.
Urla's nature reflected in the works
The colors and patterns on the manhole cover were directly inspired by Urla's nature and atmosphere. The blues, navy blues, oranges, yellows, and greens of the sky formed the color palette of the work.
Great interest from neighborhood residents
This colorful work immediately caught the attention of neighborhood residents. The alleyway, which was previously just walked past, turned into one of the attraction points where people stop and take photos.
New goals for Urla Art Street
Özlem Mahmutoğlu aims to expand her projects beyond beautifying a single surface. With the project previously submitted to the Urla Municipality but on hold due to budget reasons, the entire Urla Art Street is targeted to be transformed with mosaics.