Eskişehir artist transforms glass into art with his breath

ESKİŞEHİR

Yasin Yüksel, a glass-blowing artist working under the Culture and Tourism Ministry, has produced more than 500 glass objects over the past 10 years in his workshop located in Eskişehir’s historic Odunpazarı Houses district.

Yüksel graduated from Anadolu University’s Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Finance, in 2012 and initially worked in a factory. He discovered glass arts at the age of 29 with the support of a family friend and began practicing the craft in a room at his home, selling his pieces through social media.

Over time, he promoted glass art at free municipal booths in other cities. In 2018, he opened his workshop in the historic Odunpazarı district and also started operating a café where visitors can take glass and ceramic courses.

Yüksel has trained students in his workshop, noting, “My oldest student is my brother. We now work together. So far, I have trained four students.” His workshop, located in a popular tourist area, attracts dozens of visitors daily.

Highlighting Eskişehir’s growing reputation as a cultural hub, Yüksel said, “Last year, Art Street opened here. Visitors are now more interested in cultural tours than just natural scenery. They come to museums, art tours and buy art products. We are very fortunate in this sense.”

Yüksel emphasized that becoming a glass artist is a long process: “This is my 10th year, but there are still things I’m working on. Learning never ends. We can only make three different horse forms. The more realistic I am, the more alive the pieces become. It’s hard to learn, but eventually, it comes. Small details matter — the horse and dog bodies are horizontal, the monkey and human are vertical. We combine figures in very tiny details.”

He produces office supplies, jewelry and decorative items in his workshop, and also creates customized designs. Production time for a single piece can range from one minute to three weeks. “I once worked on a piece for three weeks. It depicted the story of my wife and daughter, and it is now displayed at the Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Contemporary Glass Arts Museum,” he said.

Yüksel explained that glass is shaped at temperatures between 600 and 1200 degrees Celsius, and occasionally, the heat causes burns on his body during the process.