mattiamarinolli

Harbye, Turkey – Abdullah Özalp, 60, is sculptor since 50 years, “one hundred years, use to say my children, since I work sixteen hours everyday”.

Abdullah lives in Harbye, a small town in Hatay province, few kilometers away from the Syrian border. Its home is a museum, mosaics lying on the floor and sculptures in every corner. He comes from a family of amanuenses and he started is work carving stones for his father Ali.

Abdullah has four sons, but no one of them continued his profession, “it’s an hard work,” explains the sculptor “and the business is not good, people is not so interested in this art here in Turkey and to sell something is extremely difficult”.

Technology and mass production has changed the rules of his art, but Abdullah is still there, seated in his courtyard, sculpting the stone.