Melike Abasıyanık Kurtiç graduated from the Decorative Arts Department of the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts in 1955. Between 1960 and 1962, she worked at the Eczacıbaşı Ceramic Factories, Mumhane Workshop. In 1963, she conducted clay research at the Herman Kähler Ceramic Workshop in Naestved, Denmark. From 1963 to 1966, she was invited to work at the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Manufactory, where she focused on single-piece ceramic forms and glaze research over a four-year period. Between 1967 and 1968, she continued her glaze studies as a guest artist in the Ceramics Department at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. From 1968 to 1972, she carried on her glaze research at the Mineral Research and Exploration Institute (MTA) in Ankara, while also producing natural history drawings at the Museum of Natural History. Between 1971 and 1975, her studio was the Heinz-Theo Dietz Ceramic Workshop in Bonn-Bad Godesberg, West Germany. In 1973, she was honored with membership by the jury of the North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Applied Fine Arts. That same year, she was accepted into GEDOK, an association based in Hamburg and affiliated with the Fédération Internationale des Associations Culturelles Féminines in Paris. Kurtiç returned to Ankara in 1975 and continued her ceramic practice in both Ankara and Adapazarı until 1977. During this period, inspired by sea urchins she encountered along the Çeşme coast, she began her first related drawings. From 1977 to 1979, while living in Athens due to her husband’s diplomatic post, she created large-scale prints and 8mm film works of her sea urchin drawings. Between 1979 and 1981, she continued her ceramic work in Copenhagen. In the same year, one of her ceramic sculptures was acquired for the government building of Grenaa, Denmark. From 1981 to 1983, she explored color studies on rice paper in Budapest, where her works were exhibited at the Hungarian National Museum. Between 1989 and 1993, she conducted tidal photography projects along Portugal’s Atlantic coast. Melike Abasıyanık Kurtiç passed away in 2021. That same year, one of her works created using silver seaweeds collected from the shores was selected as the only piece to be printed as a postcard from among 232 artworks featured in the group exhibition I-You-They, held at Meşher Gallery and showcasing 117 women artists. In 2024, a retrospective titled Memoirs of a Sea Urchin, bringing together Kurtiç’s life-long body of work, was presented at the Erimtan Archaeology and Arts Museum in Ankara. Sponsored by Kale Group and curated by Deniz Artun, the exhibition offered a comprehensive view of the artist’s world by showcasing pieces from various phases of her career. Including ceramics, photography, installations created with natural materials, and works on paper, the show remained open for six months. A thorough publication documenting her practice, also supported by Kale Group, accompanied the exhibition. Drawing significant attention for its scale and content, the exhibition was visited by 43,000 people.
