Ebru, the Turkish art of painting on water, promoted in Albania

TIRANA, March 11 – Ebru, the Turkish traditional art of painting on the water, has also found fans even in Albania. Since more than one year, the Yunus Emre Turkish cultural centre in Tirana has been promoting Ebru, also recognized as the art of flowers that bloom on the water, to Albanian students interested in this traditional Turkish art.
Ebru, often referred to as the “dance of color on water”, is an authentic Turkish art that has been considered a spiritual art for centuries. This unique art form is produced by sprinkling color pigments into a trough of oily water and utilizes special brushes to create various designs that are then transferred onto a sheet of paper or other surface.
Abdulvahap Erkin, a 24 year-old Turkish arts student who has been holding training courses on Ebru in Tirana for the past eight months, says an exhibition will open with Ebru works created by his students in the next few months.
The word ‘Ebru’ has its roots in the Persian language word ‘EBR’ which means ‘cloud’. This kind of art was created for the first time in Bukhara city of Turkestan then and through Persia spread to the Ottoman Empire. In Europe, this art is known as ‘marbling paper’.
During the Ottoman Empire it was used to wrap up books and calligraphic writings while today Ebru art is used for decorations on walls, textile and glass ware.