Yaş:

64

City/ District:

İzmir / Seferihisar

Phone:

0 (533) 571 16 68

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Ayfer Güleç was born in 1962 in Eskişehir, Türkiye. She graduated from the Painting Department of the Faculty of Education at Dokuz Eylül University. In the early stages of her career, she focused on painting and held several exhibitions. She encountered felt art in 1991 and completed an eleven-year apprenticeship under master felt-maker Muharrem Şengül in Savaştepe, Balıkesir, receiving her mastery certification. By combining traditional felt-making techniques with silk and fine arts, she developed a distinctive artistic language that bridges tradition and contemporary expression. Nominated for UNESCO’s Living Human Treasures list, Güleç was awarded the title of Bearer of Intangible Cultural Heritage and became an artist of the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Between 2009 and 2024, she participated in numerous national and international exhibitions, festivals, fairs, and seminars organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, ANELSANDER, embassies, consulates, and various institutions. In 2005, her project aimed at empowering women through the development of felt production techniques ranked among the top five out of 1,400 projects submitted to the Turkish Women Entrepreneurs Association. She is a board member of the Association for the Preservation and Development of Anatolian Handicrafts (ANELSANDER). Güleç continues her artistic production at the Ayfer Güleç Felt Design Workshop located in the Women’s Labor House in Doğanbey Village, Seferihisar, where she also contributes to the transmission of felt-making knowledge through workshops and mentorship.