Neo Kubad Abad Tiles

Size: 20 x 20cm (Each Piece)

Technique: Underglaze Painting on Ceramic Tile

Year: 2021

Throughout history, the habits and routines of everyday life have shaped the identity of societies, becoming lasting records of their time. What begins as an individual practice gradually evolves into a shared cultural pattern, influencing communities across generations and geographies.

During the medieval Islamic period, the restriction on depicting the human figure encouraged the development of a rich visual language expressed through ceramic and tile decoration. Today, these ornamental traditions serve as invaluable historical documents, offering insight into the social structures, beliefs, and daily lives of past civilizations. Among the most significant examples are the thirteenth-century tiles of the Kubad Abad Palace in Konya, Türkiye. Their imagery records the political hierarchy, cultural values, and everyday experiences of the Anatolian Seljuk period, preserving a visual narrative that continues to inform contemporary understanding.

This ongoing series reinterprets that historical legacy through a contemporary perspective. Drawing on the characteristic compositions of Kubad Abad tiles, Seljuk Star wall tiles, and traditional underglaze decoration, the works transform the visual language of the past into a record of the present. Modern routines, social habits, technologies, and changing human needs are translated into ceramic surfaces, creating a contemporary visual archive intended to preserve today's patterns of life for future generations.

Patterns of Everyday Life explores ceramics not only as a decorative medium but also as a repository of collective memory—documenting the rhythms of everyday existence and questioning what aspects of contemporary life will one day become history.